LLJohnson10
Well-Known Member
My new Bullmastiff puppy arrives next week, and I'd like to get you guys opinion on something. I've heard for years that you need to limit the amount of protein that you give your puppy, especially large/giant breeds.
One thing that seems to be close to a consensus is that Orijen is the best dry food out there, just way too expensive to average Joe's like me. Orijen, however, is very high in protein. Does that mean this food is bad for puppies? How much protein is too much? Too little?
There is another group who seem to argue that the protein content can't be too high, canines are carnivores, yada, yada, yada... They say that the main focus should be making sure you don't over due the calcium, believing that this causes irregularities in growth. How much is too much calcium? Too little?
I currently feed my German Shepherd Taste of the Wild Pacific Stream. I generally mix in ground cooked salmon (Wellnes 95% Salmon), and 2 big frozen pumpkin cubes (He loves to chew the frozen pumpkin). He does well on this diet.
The guaranteed analysis for this is as follows:
Protein: 25% Minimum, Fat: 15% Minimum
Calcium: 1.9%, as-fed; Phosphorus: 1.1%, as-fed
Is this adequate to give to my new giant breed puppy?
If I buy the Puppy formula of the Taste of the Wild Pacific Stream, the Calcium is lower, but the protein is higher
Protein: 27% Minimum, Fat: 15% Minimum
Calcium: 1.4%, as-fed; Phosphorus: 1.0%, as-fed
Is this more focused towards a regular pups nutrition, and not the Giant Breeds, or do you think this is better than giving the pup the adult formula? Why so?
What happens is a pup gets too much calcium anyway? Are their studies to back this up? Is a .5% difference in calcium a big deal?
I know i'm asking a ton of questions, but I want to make sure i'm doing whats right for my puppy. Any help would be greatly appreciated.
Another thing that i've always wanted to try, but have been too afraid to do so in fear that I would mess up my dogs stools and cause upset stomach by switching meats within the same brand. I do vary my dogs treats, but it seems pretty boring having to eat the same flavor over, and over, and over (I can't really tell though because my Shepherd is absolutely food crazy). I'd like to try out the different formulas of Taste of the Wild, but i'm too afraid to mess with whats been working for my dog.
Any help or advice would be greatly appreciated. I also would like to say that raw is probably not going to work for me at this time, so in your response, please know that raw is currently off the table.
If you want to see my pups recent pics, i've added a few to my album. I pick him up on the 19th, I can't wait!
Thanks All
One thing that seems to be close to a consensus is that Orijen is the best dry food out there, just way too expensive to average Joe's like me. Orijen, however, is very high in protein. Does that mean this food is bad for puppies? How much protein is too much? Too little?
There is another group who seem to argue that the protein content can't be too high, canines are carnivores, yada, yada, yada... They say that the main focus should be making sure you don't over due the calcium, believing that this causes irregularities in growth. How much is too much calcium? Too little?
I currently feed my German Shepherd Taste of the Wild Pacific Stream. I generally mix in ground cooked salmon (Wellnes 95% Salmon), and 2 big frozen pumpkin cubes (He loves to chew the frozen pumpkin). He does well on this diet.
The guaranteed analysis for this is as follows:
Protein: 25% Minimum, Fat: 15% Minimum
Calcium: 1.9%, as-fed; Phosphorus: 1.1%, as-fed
Is this adequate to give to my new giant breed puppy?
If I buy the Puppy formula of the Taste of the Wild Pacific Stream, the Calcium is lower, but the protein is higher
Protein: 27% Minimum, Fat: 15% Minimum
Calcium: 1.4%, as-fed; Phosphorus: 1.0%, as-fed
Is this more focused towards a regular pups nutrition, and not the Giant Breeds, or do you think this is better than giving the pup the adult formula? Why so?
What happens is a pup gets too much calcium anyway? Are their studies to back this up? Is a .5% difference in calcium a big deal?
I know i'm asking a ton of questions, but I want to make sure i'm doing whats right for my puppy. Any help would be greatly appreciated.
Another thing that i've always wanted to try, but have been too afraid to do so in fear that I would mess up my dogs stools and cause upset stomach by switching meats within the same brand. I do vary my dogs treats, but it seems pretty boring having to eat the same flavor over, and over, and over (I can't really tell though because my Shepherd is absolutely food crazy). I'd like to try out the different formulas of Taste of the Wild, but i'm too afraid to mess with whats been working for my dog.
Any help or advice would be greatly appreciated. I also would like to say that raw is probably not going to work for me at this time, so in your response, please know that raw is currently off the table.
If you want to see my pups recent pics, i've added a few to my album. I pick him up on the 19th, I can't wait!
Thanks All