looking for correct food

This is the place to share your best homemade dog food and treat recipes with each other! Remember to use caution if your pet has allergies and to make any diet changes gradually so that your dog's stomach can adjust to the new foods you are introducing.

Member Since
11/06/2012

Barked: Tue Nov 6, '12 2:54pm PST


	Hello, I have been scanning the net looking for recipies for a good home cooked diet for our new puppy. He is half St. Bernard and half Great Dane. The breeder has suggested not to feed puppy food and to have a max protien of 24%. All of this makes sence and would be easy enough if I just wanted to buy dog food. I have read enough that I think I am convinced I would like to try a homemade food for him. There are certain questions I cant seem to find answers to. How much do I feed? If I weigh ingredients will that ensure the lprotien ration is correct? Any help on achieving this healthfully will be appericated!

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Squ'mey

too old to eat- any more KD

Barked: Wed Nov 7, '12 9:18am PST


	I'm curious why you were told to NOT feed puppy food. Especially for a large breed puppy. It is vital that he gets the proper nutrition now, to ensure proper growth. The protein levels are secondary to the calcium & phosphorus levels. I will hold my tongue about calling the person you got this pup from a *breeder.

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Maxwell

I'm triple- superior MAD- now!

Barked: Wed Nov 7, '12 10:21am PST


	I know how I would feed a pup but since I haven't done so I wouldn't like to suggest a food but rather point you towards dogaware.com and this site. http://b-naturals.com/newsletters Agree about the calcium and phosphorus, keeping those levels correct is important. Protein doesn't cause trouble later in life, it grows strong muscle. As well as the calcium and phosphorus it is important to grow the pup slow and lean which has got to be difficult to do as you won't have that cute pudgy pup you are boasting is so big but rather a scrawny looking one everybody thinks is starved. In ten years you may be boasting about your 10 year old GD that looks and acts like a 5 year old if you do the lean and slow route.

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Lucille

I am the Sock- Bandit!!!

Barked: Thu Nov 8, '12 11:33am PST


	This is actually a giant breed mixed puppy (being Saint x Dane), so it's even more critical to get the calcium and phosphorous levels correct. The reason for that is you actually don't want too fast a growth rate, that causes severe problems with joints and skeletal growth later on. You want their bones to be dense enough to carry their considerable future weight, and their joints to have a healthy range of motion. I've taken care of many well-raised Irish Wolfhounds, also a giant breed. I really can't overstress how important the proper growth rate is for a dog that will be as large as yours. While there's nothing wrong with wanting to prepare your own food for the pup, please be aware that to get that ph:calcium ratio correct you need to do your research. Make sure the diet falls within the range for a large to giant breed puppy. Balancing over a week would be ok, I wouldn't stretch it out more than that for this type of puppy.

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Member Since
11/06/2012

Barked: Thu Nov 8, '12 3:28pm PST


	I was told that feeding puppy food would cause him to grow to quickly and cause bone and joint problems. Do you like the Nutro large and giant breed food. The biggest dog I have ever had is a Rot and I just want to do the right thing for the pup. The Vet agreed with the protien and fat content but noone has mentioned the calcium and phosporus. I will read the website suggested. What about all the talk of dry food being bad for dogs? Am I raising a healthier dog if I feed him fresh food ?

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Maxwell

I'm triple- superior MAD- now!

Barked: Thu Nov 8, '12 4:54pm PST


	I firmly believe that fresh food is superior nutrition but I also believe feeding a giant breed pup properly isn't something you can pick up in a week or two without serious effort. Most dogs do fine on kibble and there are lots of good large breed puppy kibbles on the market, ask on the Food forum here. You could find a mentor you trust who has fed fresh food to a giant breed pup or you could make a fresh food topper to mix with the kibble.

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Member Since
11/06/2012

Barked: Fri Nov 9, '12 1:04pm PST


	I bought the puppy Eagle Pack puppy food. It is for large and giant breeds. It says it has proper phosperous min 1% and calcium min 1.5%. I also bought him nutro canned food. My Rot eats Nutro lamb and rice large breed because of allergies. The eagle was the only food that said it was for giant breeds and the Petco employee was not the most helpful because the store was under staffed. I found it interesting that the puppy food also met the same fat and protien amounts that I was warned not to exceed. I am going to continue trying to figure out a cooked or raw recipe for my dogs. I did find a gentelman that will write a recipe for your dogs based on your dogs breed and other factors. I hope I made a wise choice in the food. Thank you for warning me about the calcium and phosperous. Our little guy comes home on Sunday and I am very ecited to get to know him.

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Member Since
11/22/2012

Barked: Tue Dec 4, '12 4:09am PST