recommended food for large breed puppy??

[Dreeza]

Hey guys, my friend just got a puppy, and by the looks of his paws, he is def gonna be a big boy. He has webbed feet, so we are thinking he is a lab/hound mix (he was listed as a hound mix). Who knows though...i'll try to post pics asap.


Anyways, I convinced her not to buy science diet/purina/etc...but I really wasn't sure what good puppy food is. I told her how Oakley does excellently on Kirkland's adult food, but her puppy is less than 3 months, so I am assuming he isn't big enough for that yet.

Kirkland's puppy food is $11 for a 20lb bag, and I've listed the ingredients. Obviously I know there is prob better food out there, but as we all know...not everyone can afford a $50 bag of food...and that it is perfectly realistic to raise a healthy dog on a more economical food. She was just concerned because it doesn't specify "large breed" on it. What do you guys think? And can you recommend something of a similar price that could be better?


Calorie Content
3,761 kcal/kg (356 kcal/cup) Calculated Metabolizable Energy


Ingredients:
Chicken,chicken meal,whole grain brown rice, cracked pearled barley, egg product, beet pulp, chicken fat(preserved with mixed tocopherols and Vitamin E), potatoes,fish meal, flaxseed,natural flavors, brewers dried yeast, millet, potassium chloride, salt, choline, carrots, peas, kelp, apples, dried skim milk, cranberry powder,
salmon oil (a source of DHA), rosemary extract, parsley flake, dried chicory root, vitamin E supplement, iron proteinate, zinc proteinate, copper proteinate, ferrous sulfate, zinc sulfate, copper sulfate, potassium iodide, thiamine mononitrate, manganese proteinate, manganous oxide, ascorbic acid, vitamin A supplement, biotin, calcium pantothenate, manganese sulfate, sodium selenite, pyridoxine hydrochloride (vitamin B6), vitamin B12 supplement, riboflavin, vitamin D supplement, folic acid.


Guaranteed Analysis
Crude Protein 28.0% minimum
Crude Fat 17.0% minimum
Crude Fiber 3.0% minimum
Moisture 10.0% minimum
Calcium 1.2% minimum
Phosphorus 1.0%minimum
Zinc 225mg/kg minimum
Selenium 0.4 mg/kg minimum
Vitamin E 250 IU/kg minimum
Omega-6 Fatty Acids 3.0% minimum*
Omega-3 Fatty Acids 0.5% minimum*
Docosahexaenoic Acid (DHA) 0.05% minimum*

[ihartgonzo]

Personally, I would feed a large/giant puppy an all-life-stages food or an adult food. Instead of feeding the Kirkland puppy, just skip up to Kirkland adult... the "puppy" part of puppy food is higher protein, higher calcium, more calories, which encourages a puppy to grow fast. That is what you want to avoid. All puppies, but especially large breed pups, should be kept lean and should grow gradually.

I also know lots of people who have raised large puppies on Innova Adult with great success.

[jess2416]

I was going to suggest an all lifestages food as well

[Dreeza]

interesting...thanks guys! Is it really ok to do that though?? Why do they even have puppy food in the first place then? She is just a lil concerned about skipping to adult food since he is so lil!

[jess2416]

Originally Posted by Dreeza

interesting...thanks guys! Is it really ok to do that though?? Why do they even have puppy food in the first place then? She is just a lil concerned about skipping to adult food since he is so lil!

their was a thread about that somewhere... I'll have to see if I can find it...

[jess2416]

I cant find the thread (still looking for it but i did find this one)

http://www.chazhound.com/forums/t31181/

[Renee750il]

Originally Posted by Dreeza

interesting...thanks guys! Is it really ok to do that though?? Why do they even have puppy food in the first place then? She is just a lil concerned about skipping to adult food since he is so lil!

Marketing, largely

Mine were raised on the regular, all stage Innova and switched to EVO as they got older.