[goldieforme]

Hi,

I have a 5 month old golden boy, average weight at his age. Regular exercise (walks, playing), but not heavy exercise like diving, etc.

I have been thinking about switching his food to one of the purina pro plan varieties. I have no issues about his current food (American Journey Large Breed Chicken & Rice). He eats in a slow feeder bowl and his bowel movement's are routine and always look good - little to no loose stools. No throwing it up either. I have just been reading a lot and have read lots of stories of long living golden's on PPP, and I like that it's been around for a long time. I have been looking at the "Focus" one and the "Sport" one. Though, I think the sport one seems to be more heavy exercise, I think? I don't want a grain-free option unless he needs one/my vet recommends it.

So my questions are:
Which varieties do you use with your golden?
How long should I feed the puppy large breed kibble before transitioning to the adult large breed one?

And another random question not particularly tied to this "topic" but a long the food side. When I got him, I was feeding him 2 times a day. Hearing from others and reading, I began feeding him 3 times a day when I can since he is a puppy and growing. At what point should I transition into 2 times a day again? I hear some people say 5 months, some say 1 year?

Thank you so much in advance for the help!

 

[IntheWillows]

I think Sport would be too rich for a pup that age if they're not doing some heavy training/working. I kept mine on the Large Breed Puppy (chicken and rice)until 10 months, and then we went over to the Sensitive Skin and Salmon, I just prefer to have mine on a fish based food.

I would stick with 3 times a day for now, only because it may help balance out some energy. We would feed twice a day on weekends when we were out more walking/at parks before we made the full switch to twice a day feedings.

 

[Abeille]

I feed mine Sport. I believe it is for All life stages.

 

[DblTrblGolden2]

I keep mine on PPP Focus Lg Breed Puppy until about 7/8 months and then transition to Sport. My guys are very active, hunt training and diving.

I start feeding twice a day after around 6 months depending on the puppy size, weight, exercise level....

I wouldn’t recommend Sport for a dog without a lot of activity. I switched my older guy to the PPP Sensitive Skin and Stomach last year when his activity level dropped. I’m now Looking into Bright Minds for him.

 

[cwag]

I stopped feeding Rukie 3 times a day around 6 months old or a little before. I switched from Purina Pro Plan Large Breed Puppy to the Pro Plan Large Breed Focus Chicken and Rice around 9-10 months old and once or twice we tried Eukanuba Large Breed but settled on the Pro Plan. He has done really well on it.

 

[hotel4dogs]

All of the Pro Plan varieties are good, it just depends which your dog does best on.
That said, my vet and a couple of other ones I've spoken with are big fans of the sensitive skin and stomach salmon formula, because it's a salmon based food and has no corn, wheat, or soy.

 

[hotel4dogs]

Should have added, look at my signature line for how long my dogs have lived eating Pro Plan . My Tiny was close to 17, Toby was 14. Tito is 12-1/2, still upland hunts.

 

[goldieforme]

Thank you everyone for the responses!

I read tons of posts with many different good brands of food, but seemed to be a general consensus on PPP as I noticed it was recommended 80% of the time. I really enjoy this website for things like this because just a google search, PPP really doesn't come up among best foods for golden's, but this website is filled with thousands of golden parent's who know the breed and what works for them that may not work for other breeds the best.

I am going to buy a bag of the Focus Large Breed Puppy, since he's not in heavy exercise events. And then in a few months, switch him to the SSS Salmon & Rice, which I think he will do well on. If for some reason he doesn't, I'll do some more switching. I currently have been giving him about a teaspoon or two (I don't give him full amount, which is 1 tspn/10 lbs of weight) of salmon oil in his food once a day. Should I stop doing that once I eventually switch him to the SSS Salmon & Rice Variety?

I'm attaching a photo of my buddy, who is 5 months old in a few short days.

 

[DblTrblGolden2]

Thank you everyone for the responses!

I read tons of posts with many different good brands of food, but seemed to be a general consensus on PPP as I noticed it was recommended 80% of the time. I really enjoy this website for things like this because just a google search, PPP really doesn't come up among best foods for golden's, but this website is filled with thousands of golden parent's who know the breed and what works for them that may not work for other breeds the best.

I am going to buy a bag of the Focus Large Breed Puppy, since he's not in heavy exercise events. And then in a few months, switch him to the SSS Salmon & Rice, which I think he will do well on. If for some reason he doesn't, I'll do some more switching. I currently have been giving him about a teaspoon or two (I don't give him full amount, which is 1 tspn/10 lbs of weight) of salmon oil in his food once a day. Should I stop doing that once I eventually switch him to the SSS Salmon & Rice Variety?

I'm attaching a photo of my buddy, who is 5 months old in a few short days.

It won't hurt him. I give my younger guy a squirt on his evening food. He is on Sport. It was recommended by his sports rehab specialist. I don't think you will need to do it on the Salmon based food, but it's personal choice.

 

[Sweet Girl]

There are very few regular pet Goldens who would need the Sport forumla.


That said, you can't miss with any of the PP formulas, really. I'd put him on the puppy formula for now (which is chicken base), then you can move to an adult chicken based one, see how he does. If he thrives, great. If you want to feed a fish base, the SSS is a great choice (he doesn't need to have a sensitive stomach or skin to feed it). Mine did great on the chicken and rice but I wanted to move her to the salmon - and she thrives on the salmon based SSS. Gorgeous coat, great muscle tone.

 

[CAROLINA MOM]

Good looking boy you have.

I feed PPP also, I feed the Sensitive Skin and Stomach formula-Salmon and have been feeding it for almost 9 years. My guys had sensitive stomachs and have done great on it.No allergies, no hot spots, etc.

 

[206076]

As someone that is new to the forums and has a 9 month old Golden I am relatively new to the discussion about DCM and which food I should be feeding. I have tried a few and it hasn't gone so well as I had hoped. After reading this thread and looking at the DCM info that has been compiled on the facebook page along with hearing you folks talk I think I will be switching my boy to PPP. I can't believe how confusing and bewildering the whole dog food topic is. It makes me want to pull out my hair!

 

[Brave]

We feed both our show/sport dog and our stay-at-home dog PPP 30/20. They both do excellent on that formula. My golden was fed PPP LBP for 1 giant bag which I think lasted until she was 5 or 6 months old then she was switched to 30/20. We kept up the 3 meals until she was about 12-14 months old. When her growth plateaued we cut out the 3rd meal. But, ironically, she eats the same amount of food now. She was at 1 cup/3x a day for a total of 3 cups a day. Then we cut out the third meal and moved her to 2 cups a day, but she got too skinny so we bumped her to 1.5 cups/2x a day which still comes out to 3 cups a day.

 

[Otter]

I'm no expert and find this all very confusing, but all the Golden breeders I know use PPP of some variety.
Mr. B and Sandy are on PPP. Pebbles is on one of the Fromm reduced calorie kibbles.

 

[Brodys Rockies]

When Brody came from a reputable rescue organization here in Colorado, he was sent home on Nutro Wholesome Essentials Large Breed Puppy, chicken, brown rice, and sweet potato recipe. He never seemed to like this food much, and his eating habits were very different from our past GR. Brody was what is called a grazer. He never finished his food during one feeding. He would eat a little and then come back when he wanted more.

At around 8 months, we switched him to PPP Focus, which at first he seemed to like, but he soon went back to his grazing habits. We then switch him to PPP Sport at 9 months. He liked this food very much and he eats every bit of his food at feeding time. He doesn't have any digestive issues with this food at all. So far so good!

On a side note, trying to find the right food does seem to be challenging and confusing. We fed our first GR Blue Buffalo from the time he was able to switch to adult food. His name was River. He loved Blue Buffalo and never had any issues with this food. Sadly, River passed from cancer after 11 years.

When I look back on the things we did as a home and pet owner, we enjoyed and focused on having a well-manicured lawn. I used all kinds of fertilizers and weed control chemicals to have a beautiful lawn. Likewise, we lived adjacent to a golf course for the first nine years River was with us. River loved to swim in the golf course ponds frequently to fetch sticks and swim. Each morning we took walks on the golf course before the first round of golfers came into view. When I think of all the chemicals used to keep a golf course looking beautiful, and then think about all the chemicals River had to come in contact with in our yard, on the golf course and especially the chemicals that polluted the golf course ponds due to rain and sprinkler runoff, I can't help but wonder if this chemical exposure contributed to him eventually developing cancer???

We now live in the Central Rocky Mountains. Our yard is natural with beautiful wildflowers in the spring and summer months. We never use any weed control chemicals and the streams and lakes Brody swims in are spring-fed and natural clean mountain water. It will be interesting to see how Brody does in this environment over time. Having two dogs in two separate environments is hardly a quality test, but it does make you wonder. My point is this...We spend a great deal of time focusing on which food to use, when to, or if to nurture, etc. when trying to avoid cancer in our beloved GR's. IMHO, I also think we should be thinking about the environment our dogs are exposed to as well. Just my thoughts on the topic...As I said, it will be interesting to see how Brody does in this environment over time. I wish I had thought about this when River was a puppy...

 

[206076]

When Brody came from a reputable rescue organization here in Colorado, he was sent home on Nutro Wholesome Essentials Large Breed Puppy, chicken, brown rice, and sweet potato recipe. He never seemed to like this food much, and his eating habits were very different from our past GR. Brody was what is called a grazer. He never finished his food during one feeding. He would eat a little and then come back when he wanted more.

At around 8 months, we switched him to PPP Focus, which at first he seemed to like, but he soon went back to his grazing habits. We then switch him to PPP Sport at 9 months. He liked this food very much and he eats every bit of his food at feeding time. He doesn't have any digestive issues with this food at all. So far so good!

On a side note, trying to find the right food does seem to be challenging and confusing. We fed our first GR Blue Buffalo from the time he was able to switch to adult food. His name was River. He loved Blue Buffalo and never had any issues with this food. Sadly, River passed from cancer after 11 years.

When I look back on the things we did as a home and pet owner, we enjoyed and focused on having a well-manicured lawn. I used all kinds of fertilizers and weed control chemicals to have a beautiful lawn. Likewise, we lived adjacent to a golf course for the first nine years River was with us. River loved to swim in the golf course ponds frequently to fetch sticks and swim. Each morning we took walks on the golf course before the first round of golfers came into view. When I think of all the chemicals used to keep a golf course looking beautiful, and then think about all the chemicals River had to come in contact with in our yard, on the golf course and especially the chemicals that polluted the golf course ponds due to rain and sprinkler runoff, I can't help but wonder if this chemical exposure contributed to him eventually developing cancer???

We now live in the Central Rocky Mountains. Our yard is natural with beautiful wildflowers in the spring and summer months. We never use any weed control chemicals and the streams and lakes Brody swims in are spring-fed and natural clean mountain water. It will be interesting to see how Brody does in this environment over time. Having two dogs in two separate environments is hardly a quality test, but it does make you wonder. My point is this...We spend a great deal of time focusing on which food to use, when to, or if to nurture, etc. when trying to avoid cancer in our beloved GR's. IMHO, I also think we should be thinking about the environment our dogs are exposed to as well. Just my thoughts on the topic...As I said, it will be interesting to see how Brody does in this environment over time. I wish I had thought about this when River was a puppy...

It sounds like you are living in paradise I am very jealous You make some great points about the environment. It's kinda sad that things have gotten to the point it isn't safe for our animals or us to roam freely without the concern of contracting cancers due to chemicals.

 

[Brodys Rockies]

It sounds like you are living in paradise I am very jealous You make some great points about the environment. It's kinda sad that things have gotten to the point it isn't safe for our animals or us to roam freely without the concern of contracting cancers due to chemicals.

It's not always paradise out here, just some of the time...The winters can be long, cold and hard. It was -6 this morning with fresh powder. Brody had fun running in the snow. We have learned to take the good with the challenging times in stride...:wink2:

 

[206076]

It's not always paradise out here, just some of the time...The winters can be long, cold and hard. It was -6 this morning with fresh powder. Brody had fun running in the snow. We have learned to take the good with the challenging times in stride...:wink2:

As a Canadian that lives in the Prairies I understand where you are coming from. We are still cleaning up from a snow storm we received a few weeks ago.

 

[CAROLINA MOM]

I agree the environment is a big factor. I clean with white vinegar and water only, I don't use any fertilizer or weed killer on my yard, and no insecticides/pesticides either.

The snow pictures are pretty. I am not a cold weather person at all, had my fill of being knee deep in snow and extremely cold temps after living in the Chicago area for many years.

It's going to be sunny and 80F here today....... great beach day!

 

[206076]

I need to throw out a lot of the chemicals in my house that I use for cleaning. I am also going to look at switching my laundry detergent to something more natural. The only real Sun I will get today will be from my boy hence the name