(Part 2) Reddit mentions: The best dry dog food

My bully is also 7! We use Earthbath shampoo. I'd recommend these Keto-C Antiseptic wipes if he has any skin fold irritation. You might want to try a fish oil to add to his food; that should help his hair and they just love it. My pup has some arthritis and hip dysplasia, so we give him a glucosamine/chondroitin supplement. He has a bit of a grain sensitivity so he eats Rachel Ray Just Six. I keep Benadryl on hand (vet approved) because it helps when he gets seasonal allergies. Get some dog toothpaste and a brush; it really does help. My pup loves any kind of dental bones, also. Keep an eye out for a head tilt or unusual ear wax/discharge as bullies can be prone to ear infections. Make sure he wears a harness (we've used a cheap roman harness for years but recently got this harness) and take good care of his neck- my boy has recently been dealing with a prolapsed intervertebral disk, which is caused by normal play like tug of war and fetch, jumping off the couch, going up and down stairs, and generally having a huge head. So now we play very carefully, carry him on stairs, and have him on an anti-inflammatory. He uses a raised feeding dish to prevent strain. We also put a little tennis ball in his food to make him eat slowly (he has a tendency to eat too fast and throw up). I use Argan oil and petroleum jelly on his nose when it gets dry.
I'm sure he'll let you know his taste in treats and toys soon, but my buddy likes antler chews, Busy Bones, and all stuffed animals. Rawhides make him throw up. Congratulations and good luck!

You absolutely want to feed a Large Breed Puppy Food if possible. Also, feeding an adult food is a common piece of advice but adult foods are missing nutrients that a growing puppy needs.

> Excess caloric intake during growth in large and giant breed dogs promotes rapid growth which is associated with an increased incidence of skeletal disorders such as hip dysplasia and osteochondrosis. Feeding diets that are less calorically dense will not reduce adult size but will slow rate of growth so that mature size is achieved over a longer period. A slower growth rate is associated with fewer developmental orthopedic problems. In addition, both too much and not enough calcium can lead to developmental bone problems. For large breed dogs, this optimal range appears to be narrower than for other breeds, and excessive levels of calcium may contribute to bone disease. Therefore, moderately lower dietary calcium is recommended for the diet of growing large breed dogs.

...

> Should some puppies be fed adult foods?

> Alternatively, is it safe to feed a balanced adult dog food to a growing large breed puppy instead? To put it bluntly: no. The argument that adult foods are lower in caloric density than puppy foods and therefore are more appropriate for large breed puppies is not good advice. In fact, as we will see later in this chapter, the adult dog foods that are available today vary widely in calorie content, with some containing substantially more calories per cup than puppy foods. Adult diets are also not appropriately restricted in calcium content. So, the piece of advice that Ellie’s breeder got wrong was her recommendation to “feed an adult food” to Ellie. While this advice may have been prudent 30 years ago, before nutritionists knew how to best feed large and giant breed puppies, it is not only unhelpful today, but potentially harmful.

....

> We also know that growing puppies require a slightly higher proportion of dietary protein in their diet when compared to adult dogs. Some breeders and other dog enthusiasts mistakenly believe that increased dietary protein is the culprit that causes skeletal problems in large breed dogs. However, this is another false belief —as we discussed, excess energy consumption is the problem for large breed puppies, not protein.

• All excerpts from Dog Food Logic: Making Smart Decisions for Your Dog in an Age of Too Many Choices
  
  The following foods are designed for Large Breed Puppies and have been through AAFCO feeding trials to further support their claims of having appropriate nutrients for growing puppies.
  
  
• Innova Large Breed Puppy Food
  
• Purina Pro Plan Large Breed Puppy
  
• Iams ProActive Large Breed Puppy Food
  
• Eukanuba Large Breed Puppy Food
  
• Purina One SmartBlend Large Breed Puppy Food
  
• Bil-Jac Large Breed Puppy food
  
• Hill's Science Diet Puppy Large Breed
  
• Hill's Ideal Balance Large Breed
  
  More info on Large Breed Puppy nutrition:
  
  
• Nutrition for the Growing Puppy | Veterinary Teaching Hospital at Virginia-Maryland
  
• FEEDING GROWING ANIMALS | Veterinary Teaching Hospital at Virginia-Maryland
  
• Frequently Asked Questions about General Pet Nutrition | Cummings School of Veterinary Medicine at Tufts University
  
• What is Large Breed Puppy Food? | petMD
  
• Large Breed Puppy Food vs. Adult Dog Food | petMD
  
• Feeding the Large and Giant Breed Puppy | petMD
  
• Nutrition in Large Breed Puppies | SkeptVet
  
  tl;dr - Less calories, more precise calcium levels

Hey Metamorphosis348, I heard many conflicting things about puppy food when I got my little Great Dane named Crowley.

He is our first puppy, so i did a lot of extensive research. The amount of conflicting points is crazy.

There are certain nutrients you need as a puppy, but most puppy mixes have a high protein(35-50%) and/or Fat(20-25%) content, which can be bad for Great Dane Growth.

The Best Compromise I could find was this type from Blue Buffalo. 26% Protein and 15% Fat.

When I went to Petco to find some chow for Crowley, I had a little notebook with 2 pages filled with ingredients that should be avoided. This one fit the bill the best, and Crowley seems to love it!

And no, Crowley doesnt have mange, he was the runt of the litter(of 3) and his brother and sister played hard with him. It is clearing up nicely.

And Yes I copied and pasted this from another post of mine

If you use the search bar on the right and search new puppy, puppy list, shopping list, you'll find a lot of good stuff. Here's one old post with a list here's another and a super detailed list in the comments.

In response to those lists, I second the no need for puppy pee pads (shibas potty train quickly but do get something to remove the scent if they do pee in the house, nature's secret etc.).

I would add a toothbrush and toothpaste to that list. Get them used to the toothbrush early on even though they'll lose those puppy teeth eventually. Ditto getting them used to the harness.

We never had a play pen and didn't miss one.

I also recommend shopping on amazon for pretty much anything (petco etc. are always far more expensive but we do go to them occasionally with our shiba as a fun outing or to grab a last minute toy or treat).

Start with small bags of treats and not the giant ones in case your pup doesn't like them and since they'll be eating fewer and they might go stale before you finish them. We try to opt for the highest quality ingredients/most natural food and treats which is totally affordable if you hit amazon.

Specific items: Kong zoom groom brush (gentle but works well), midwest life stages crate (grows with dog, durable), traditional kong, kong wobbler (later added a kong genius as well), whatever random stuffed toys you like (still haven't found something that can survive more than a few days with our shiba) for food we used this wellness puppy food which includes salmon and have since graduated to their adult food alternated with costco's salmon dog food.

You'll definitely need something for them to chew (and chew, and chew), ours had some nylabone chew toys but was never interested in them. Loved bully sticks and rawhide though, just be sure again to check the ingredients, you want american unbleached rolls and not the sheets made of lots of little pieces.

I switched Stitch immediately to Wellness Core Grain Free Puppy when I first got him. If you do switch, add some pumpkin to it.

Also, the Wellness Core Puppy is a bit expensive, but I figured you'd want the best for your puppy. But there's also Blue Buffalo Grain Free Puppy, which is about $10 cheaper than the Wellness. I've heard great things about both Blue Buffalo and Wellness Core.

OMG I am so glad I came across this and I hope you still have food to offer. My baby's name is Gracie and she is 6 years old. She is a doberman and I believe she has a little rottweiler in her possibly. I'd love to show you pics if interested :)

The thing is I have been in a huge rough patch for a while and am currently unemployed and fixing to be homeless probably in a month, maybe 2 if im lucky. I am barely able to feed myself right now let alone my dog, although I make sure she eats before me. I got extremely lucky a couple months ago and found this amazing deal at this food bank I go to, they had cases of nutro wet dog food for $3 a case of 12 which is AMAZING. The cans usually run about $2-$2.5 each. Needless to say I had to buy as many as I could which was 10-15 or so cases. I am just about out now and am really needing a bag of dry food for her, it would mean the absolute world to Gracie and myself if you were able to order her some food so she doesn't go hungry during this struggle we are enduring.

If I am lucky enough to receive any help this is the food I feed her, though I will take anything if this is too expensive. Thank you for reading this.

https://www.amazon.com/Nutro-Ultra-Proteins-Chicken-Salmon/dp/B006HKBWBI/ref=mp_s_a_1_9?keywords=nutro+dog+food&qid=1573734386&sprefix=nutro+&sr=8-9

Grandma Lucy's

its dehydrated so you have to do a lil bit more prep than kibble but my dog loves it. it smells and looks really good too. Some days I'm pretty sure my dog eats better than I do.

Hey there. I'm willing to buy a bag of nutritious dog food to help your "number one fan" get by, but I didn't trust that Purina brand you had on your list.

I did a 5 min search online and found it didn't rate that highly on dogfoodadvisor.com (1/5 stars). If you throw something better on the list like the ones below, I'll gladly send some your way.

• Orijen 6-Fish Grain-Free Dry Dog Food, 15.4lb (5 star)
  
  
• Acana Grasslands Grain-Free Dry Dog Food, 15.4lb (5 stars)
  
  
• Taste of the Wild Sierra Mountain Dog Food 30 lb (4.5 stars)
  
  The last one is slightly less of a quality brand, but for the price you can get twice as much. This is probably our best bet - the only questionable ingredient is tomato pomace, but how bad can that be?
  
  > Tomato pomace is a controversial ingredient, a by-product remaining after processing tomatoes into juice, soup and ketchup.
  
  > Many praise tomato pomace for its high fiber and nutrient content, while others scorn it as an inexpensive pet food filler.
  
  > Just the same, there’s probably not enough tomato pomace here to make much of a difference.
  
  
  Also, if there are any dog lovers out there who disapprove of these choices, please chime in!

Crave Dog Food. Only comes in 22lbs max, but is high in protein so might last longer.

It can be ordered a delivered by subscription on Amazon and is decently priced. A subscription May help with tour limited storage. It has for me.

CRAVE Grain Free with Protein from Salmon and Ocean Fish Dry Adult Dog Food, 22 Pound Bag https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07281KQCX/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_i_R0n5AbG1R8ARE

Plus it’s good for your dog. Great reviews from dog food nutritionists. Grain-free high protein.

http://www.dogfoodadvisor.com/dog-food-reviews/crave-dog-food-dry/

> Have you tried the common tricks of adding warm broth or other enticing additives, such as canned food?

I was about to add some warm broth to it and then I stopped when I realized that there was Onion in the broth ingredients. I've had some success with warm water, mashing, and spoon feeding, though.

I'd be happy supplementing canned food if I could find a veg one for the appropriate lifestage.

> Are you currently feeding a veg/vegan kibble?

No, it's traditional off-the-shelf stuff. We are feeding her the food the rescue said she was on. two or so solid days of nomming it, and she's off from it.

She's put on 1.5 LB in about 2 weeks.

I wouldn't feed her anything that a vet (and science) didn't agree with, unfortunately it's "If you can find it, and it meets standards, go for it."

I just wanted to get her switched over now while she's off her "normal" food, rather than wait for our next vet consult to show data on what we've found which is AAFCO "Adult Stage" and if we could supplement to that, or what. Hopefully I articulated that properly.

---------------

If I am being completely honest... It's really between going with a UK Brand that I know (to the best of abilities) meets the AAFCO standards for Growth OR a quality US Brand that's Adult stage formulated... And ignoring the supplementation unless the vet recommended otherwise.

I guess if I have such an ultimatum the right choice is to get something that checks all the boxes... Even if it's not domestic and it's twice the price after shipping =/ At least until I can get appropriate consult.

---------------------

https://smile.amazon.com/V-Dog-Vegan-Kibble-Dry-Food/dp/B0086YESK0/ref=sr_1_2?crid=1H1DXD2AXI7HQ&keywords=v-dog+kinder+kibble+mini+bites&qid=1554664220&s=gateway&sprefix=V-Dog+Kinder+Ki%2Cpets%2C172&sr=8-2

VS

https://smile.amazon.com/Benevo-Puppy-Food-Original-Complete/dp/B00F6NVLXQ?sa-no-redirect=1

Our vet told us to do a big name food because they’re proven instead of doing the “higher end” boutique type foods. She also told us not to do grain free because it can cause heart problems in dogs that aren’t even prone to heart problems.

We use Purina Smart Blend with great success.

I'm planning to take Bo for a nice long hike in a bit, and I'm hoping to have him on the 30ft line for like 80% of it. I'd ideally like to start working on hiking him off-leash, but this park tends to be fairly busy on the main paths on weekends, so that's probably a no-go today.

A bought a small bag of kibble that I've never heard of at the Dollar Store for giggles, as new/novelty kibbles seem to work well as training treats on walks. Both dogs reeeeaaaally seem to like it, haha.

We've been using "nutrish" from that chef lady.
We have it on auto delivery with Amazon.
Our puppy loves it.
Good ingredients and a great price.

Rachael Ray Nutrish Bright Puppy Natural Dry Dog Food, Real Chicken & Brown Rice Recipe, 14lbs https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0719QDHY6/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apap_KXU6Q3gXWn91l

Hey there. I'm in the exact same boat. We've had luck with Purina Pro Plan Focus, Sensitive Skin and Stomach.

We're still transitioning from the chicken/rice diet, so right now my dog (6 month old terrier mix) is getting about 33% kibble and 66% bland diet, but so far so good. A small bag of the Purina Pro Plan is available on Amazon, so it might be worth a shot. Best of luck.

Wow, you really haven't done much research. You can get one of the best dog foods on the market for $50 for a large 30lb bag.

https://www.amazon.com/Buffalo-Life-Protection-Dog-Food/dp/B000XZBXP8

And, your claim that feeding a dog the best food available is the least you can do is BS. Saving a dog from death is the least you can do. A dog eating cheap food in a loving house is better off than a dog who is euthanized.

We feed our Iggy Royal Canin Indoor Dry Dog Food. We've tried a few other brands when she was younger (Blue Buffalo & Pedigree). But would occasionally make her throw up and her bowl movements were foul to say the least. With the Royal Canin she not only scarfs down the food when we serve her, but the food doesn't stick to her teeth. She's also never had an upset stomach with this food, plus it leaves her coat silky and her stool smells significantly less.

Ousr also throws up dental chews. She become a little too enthusiastic, swallow it almost whole, and throws up. Good thing she likes it when we brush her teeth.

If you are ever worried about your Iggy not eating enough I highly recommend NutriCal. We had to use it a bunch of times when our previous Iggy became very finicky with food later in her life.

http://www.amazon.com/Orijen-Adult-Formula-Dry-Food/dp/B000W5SLEU

Only looks about $20-$30 more expensive than the kibbles and bits, I think I can manage that. I love the shit out of my dog, and if she had the ability, I know she'd get me the best. ;]

Maybe when the apocalypse comes it can be like "A boy and his dog" and we'll just ride into the sunset fighting raiders and shit. She'll pay me back then haha.

Instead of the types of treats that you have listed on there, you might consider switching to these. They are sourced and made in the US, and use human grade meat. There have been so many dog deaths, related to inferior Chinese products that you don't want to lose him to that.

http://www.fullmoonpet.com/treats/chicken-jerky/

Here is what would be a better food, because it has the joint support for the bigger dogs:

http://www.amazon.com/Diamond-Naturals-Adult-Chicken-Formula/dp/B000WFKUOY/ref=sr_1_7?ie=UTF8&qid=1426442842&sr=8-7&keywords=diamond+dog+food

But look it up and make sure there is no corn in it. Also, if he is truly a giant breed, and you can't find affordable large breed food, feed the very best you can, and then give glucosamine and chondroitin to him as a supplement (usually in pill form).

On age. Look at his teeth. Are they yellowed and have some tartar? If they are, then they might be close on his age. If they are still bright white, he is probably much younger.

We use Canidae Grain Free pure Dry Dog Food for our Frenchie pup, 11 weeks old now. we got a 4lb bag from the breeder when we took him home.
He gets a 1/4cup with a tablespoon of Canidae wet formula per meal, three times a day now, doing very well on it. links:
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B005G5SWYK
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00K1DF6FU

I’m starting him out on Canidade Grain Free Puppy Food

*edit - missed a word