When do I start feeding adult food?

[lmitchell89]

The 3 pups love Meadow feast. However, we go through a 14LB bag of food in just under a week. Right now they are each eating 5 and 1/4 cups of food a day.. (we have it split into 3 meals a day). My mom is hoping that we are able to find another food that has a similar quality of ingredients and comes in bags larger than 28-30 LBS. If anyone has any suggestions, let me know.

 

[Smart_Family]

The only foods that come in bags bigger than that are junk foods. Unfortunately this is one of the negative sides of having three puppies. They eat three times the food, have three times the vet bills and make three times the messes.

 

[mountainfila]

The only foods that come in bags bigger than that are junk foods. Unfortunately this is one of the negative sides of having three puppies. They eat three times the food, have three times the vet bills and make three times the messes.

Well i have to say i have raised many many dogs on your so called "junk food" and had no issues what so ever, the only issue i have had is when i switched to a holistic brand of food and for my new fila i got a couple years ago and it did nothing but give me problems with her!!! I personaly do not fall for all these "so called" better foods, this mixed with that and then the feeding trials are rediculous to say the least. All these foods you recommend are very new like within the last 5 years, how do you feel about a food that only has to be trialed for 6 months on a min of 8 dogs?? If a dog doesnt do well on the food they drop them and do not have to tell why, i have never in my life in dogs, almost 35 years, seen so many dogs have problems because of the food they are eating, nowadays everyone thinks they are a nutritionist. K im going back to my corner now, just had to vent. And yes i have experience feeding alot of different brands from cheap to the most expensive and these new brands are taking advantage of the consumer, making smaller bags and charging 5 times the price and yes i also was feeding raw before raw became popular.

 

[Smart_Family]

Actually the information I share comes directly from a nutritionist who specializes in large and giant breeds. The better foods cost more money at the get go but end up being cheaper in the long run because you have to feed less of them so that 28lb bag of food lasts a lot longer. Most of the junk foods would have me feeding my 100 lb dog over 6 cups of food a day where as the food I choose to feed has me feeding like 4. Do you know what's in half the junk foods? Besides fillers that are the equivalent of eating McDonald's every day of your life, many of the foods have been found to contain things such as euthanized animals, tumors cut off of animals, road kill, etc. What is the point of spending thousands in many of our cases on a dog just to feed it junk that is going to cost more money and is not good for their health longterm. Many of these cheaper foods have also been found to contain carcinogens. At the end of the day, it is always the decision of the dog's owner what to feed and what works for their dog and I have never shoved a food down anyone's throat not to mention I spend much of what little free time I have helping dog owner's who are having issues with their dogs food and creating a dog food guide that is over 100 pages long and still going to help make sure that all the mastiff owners on this forum have as much information as possible to make educated informed decisions for their pets. So congrats you had your vent and I had mine so now we're even.

 

[mountainfila]

I never said you shoved anything anywhere, i was just giving my own opinion about all these new super premium foods, that seem to be causing loose stool as well as yeast problems as well as so called chicken allergies, like i said i have never seen so many problems now with all these new brands of food, they come out with like every 6 months. And i also never in my life have ever fed over 4 cups of any food per day, a dogs stomach is the size of a baseball, im talking big dogs, i do not feed what the bag says i feed what i see my dog needs. And i wasnt attacking you i was just giving a different opinion because i dont know if you or anyone else realizes but most people are looked down upon if they aren't feeding "the lastest fad foods" to there precious pooches, thats all im saying. All my dogs died from old age in there teens, my pit bull was 16 when she passed and ate diamond and kirkland most of her life. My filas same they were 12 and 13 and ate diamond and kirkland no bone problems , i would be feeding it now but it is to hard to get where i live and i have found a food, that they do well on and they have nice firm stools and i dont like the food but they do and they have no gas, no problems, but stupid me had to go and try and change them to fromms adult gold and did a very slow transition, once it got to be more fromms they both got cow pie stools, so im not switching anymore they will eat pedigree till the cows come home, i also give raw meat aswell through out the week as treats but not alot as meat is at a premium price were i live, its about $3-$5 a lb for regular hamburger, same for chicken, a 1lb whole chicken is 10 bucks, my dogs are 130 and 150 lbs, how much do you think it would cost me to feed raw at those prices? Acana and all the foods you recommend are $80 FOR 30LBS, i was going through one bag a week and my dogs were pooping on the floor in the middle of the night, every night and not firm either, not fun to clean up first thing in the morning before coffee lol. I can almost hear people gasping at what i said i feed but you know what , nice shiny coats , white teeth, NO GAS!!! The other crap i was feeding gave her leaky gut syndrome and let the yeast take hold, so now i feed probiotics at each meal and the yeast has started to recede and i can now notice a difference in her eyes are becoming less gunky, skin on her belly is not as grey , her ears are cleaner then ever and her bumps on her back are gone as well as the flaky skin and guess what shes eating pedigree healthy vitality still.

So im not attacking you or saying your doing a bad thing but people shouldnt be brow beaten into buying these expensive small bags when other food may do the job just aswell sometimes better cause the brand has been around a long long long time, these new companys seem to change there formula a couple times a year cause they have complaints from people, so basicaly they are using your dog as a test subject.

 

[Smart_Family]

No one's brow beating anyone. Just out of curiosity I just crunched the approximate numbers of what it would cost me to feed pedigree large breed to my two and I actually save approximately 17 dollars over a three week period by feeding Earthborn. Obviously every dog is different but for my dogs, the better quality foods are what works.

 

[aaronl]

Amen mountainfila. I agree. I hold off responding to several posts on this site from fear of the wrath of the food police, the spay/nueter police, the crate police. I feed a middle of the road food and my dog is doing great. If for some reason she does not live to be 13 years old, I will let everyone know. But even then, no one could prove it was her diet, spaying, running too much etc..
This site occasionalky has good advice and its a treat hearing everyines stories similar tI have thought about deleting my account several times but cannot figure out how! Anyone know?

---------- Post added at 07:57 PM ---------- Previous post was at 07:53 PM ----------

damned tablet. was going to finish by saying and i enjoy reading everyones stories that are similar to mine, but sometimes i think about deleting my account. can someone tell me how to do that? thanks!

 

[aaronl]

damned tablet. was going to finish by saying and i enjoy reading everyones stories that are similar to mine, but sometimes i think about deleting my account. can someone tell me how to do that? thanks!

---------- Post added at 08:00 PM ---------- Previous post was at 07:57 PM ----------

oh and to answer the original question, if you have a costco near, they sell natures domain salmon and sweet potato, all life stages, grain free. 33lb bag. $ 34.00 here in washington. 4 stars on the dog food advisor. hope this helps.

 

[aaronl]

oh and to answer the original question, if you have a costco near, they sell natures domain salmon and sweet potato, all life stages, grain free. 33lb bag. $ 34.00 here in washington. 4 stars on the dog food advisor. hope this helps.

 

[Smart_Family]

The food police huh? Like I said I've never condemned anyone for what they feed and actually don't usually comment on it unless a) I'm asked my opinion b) there's a particularly dangerous ingredient in the food or c) the calcium level/ratio of calcium to phosphorus are way too high or low for proper growth. As far as deleting your account, I don't think there's a way unless perhaps a moderator were to do it so you would just have to stop logging in.

 

[Sherri]

Actually the information I share comes directly from a nutritionist who specializes in large and giant breeds. The better foods cost more money at the get go but end up being cheaper in the long run because you have to feed less of them so that 28lb bag of food lasts a lot longer. Most of the junk foods would have me feeding my 100 lb dog over 6 cups of food a day where as the food I choose to feed has me feeding like 4. Do you know what's in half the junk foods? Besides fillers that are the equivalent of eating McDonald's every day of your life, many of the foods have been found to contain things such as euthanized animals, tumors cut off of animals, road kill, etc. What is the point of spending thousands in many of our cases on a dog just to feed it junk that is going to cost more money and is not good for their health longterm. Many of these cheaper foods have also been found to contain carcinogens. At the end of the day, it is always the decision of the dog's owner what to feed and what works for their dog and I have never shoved a food down anyone's throat not to mention I spend much of what little free time I have helping dog owner's who are having issues with their dogs food and creating a dog food guide that is over 100 pages long and still going to help make sure that all the mastiff owners on this forum have as much information as possible to make educated informed decisions for their pets. So congrats you had your vent and I had mine so now we're even.

I do appreciate your help with food area. I changed Winston from Iam's Large breed puppy formula to Nutro Grain Free for adults. I ran into a rep in the pet supply place and he sold me. The switch went quite well. No diarrhea......However, I am very interested in trying out the Earthborn food since you mentioned your dogs don't eat as much as some of the other food out there. I can see where that could definitely save money in the long run. Earthborn sounds like a very good food. Winston will be 15 weeks on Monday and eats approx. 2 cups in the morning and 1-1/2 in the late afternoon.

I'm a little nervous about changing his food again. Should I wait a couple of weeks before doing it? I just changed his food this past week. Did it gradual. Been two days he has had ONLY the Nutro and No problems.

I appreciate any advice.

 

[Smart_Family]

Usually you want to go through a bag or two before transitioning again to avoi digestive shock.

 

[aaronl]

The food police huh? Like I said I've never condemned anyone for what they feed and actually don't usually comment on it unless a) I'm asked my opinion b) there's a particularly dangerous ingredient in the food or c) the calcium level/ratio of calcium to phosphorus are way too high or low for proper growth. As far as deleting your account, I don't think there's a way unless perhaps a moderator were to do it so you would just have to stop logging in.

Actually you do comment on food questions, solicited or not. But that is what a free forum is for. And you may not be condemming people for thier choices, but you sure do have a strong opinion and can make someone feel awful for feeding any food other than the one you use.

Also, I thought you were a vet tech? No? And you get your food information from another nutritionist? What are thier credentials and schooling? As we all know, doctors and nutritionists whether it be canine or human all have thier own opinions. That is why it is important to get a second and maybe third opinion about health and nutrition. What works for one, will not always work for many.

Can't stress it enough people, do your own research, see what works for YOUR dog and your pocket book and make the most informed decision possible. Read ingredients and don't let someone whether it be at a pet food store or forum, brow beat you and make you feel bad for choosing what is right for you and your animals.

 

[angelbears]

Aaron, I'm sorry that you have so little self control that you need someone to remove your membership. With some self control you would be able to walk away and not come back to this forum that you think spews anger and brow beatings with every other post.

If you want to express your opinion, do so but to jump on the bandwagon after someone else had the cojones to express your opinion for you, is just chicken.

 

[aaronl]

So easy.....
Oh I have self control... showing it as I type. I have expressed many opinions on this site. You must have missed them. No bandwagon jumping here. And who said anything about spewing anger? Sounds like you are angry..

And yes, moderator, if you can please tell me how to delete account, that would be appreciated. You should be able to delete an account on internet sites correct?
Commence the brow beating.......

 

[mountainfila]

No one's brow beating anyone. Just out of curiosity I just crunched the approximate numbers of what it would cost me to feed pedigree large breed to my two and I actually save approximately 17 dollars over a three week period by feeding Earthborn. Obviously every dog is different but for my dogs, the better quality foods are what works.

Well i dont feed large breed, i feed the plain ol healthy vitality, 16kg bag is $30 after tax and i go through 2 bags a month, so thats $60 a month. What is the price of your earthborn? i pretty much can say if i was to have it brought in a 30lb bag would cost me close to $80 per bag, and i probably would have to buy at least 3 bags a month, so that would be $240 a month. As far as poops go, they are small cigar shaped and each poop 2 times a day , one in the morning and one at night.

Just curious as to how many brands of dog food you have used over the course of the last 20 years? I also do not want you to think i am bashing you for trying to help people but if you have not used the food how can you tell some else that it is crap. I agree that alot of cheaper brands are crap like ol roy and kibbles and bits, purina dog chow etc, but there are a few that are not.

I get the impression of brow beating just by reading the posts about what food to feed and they are all the same, "if you dont feed this brand then your a bad doggy mommy and your dogs going to have health problems later on" its not said directly but if you read between the lines thats how i interpret it, thats just me and my opinion. And i dont want anyone jumping on my bandwagon as this is not why i responded.

 

[Sherri]

Usually you want to go through a bag or two before transitioning again to avoi digestive shock.

Thanks for your opinion on food, etc. It helps and gives me an idea of what to research to find the perfect food for my baby boy!! (I never just take someones word for it....I'm the queen of research!)

 

[Smart_Family]

Well i dont feed large breed, i feed the plain ol healthy vitality, 16kg bag is $30 after tax and i go through 2 bags a month, so thats $60 a month. What is the price of your earthborn? i pretty much can say if i was to have it brought in a 30lb bag would cost me close to $80 per bag, and i probably would have to buy at least 3 bags a month, so that would be $240 a month. As far as poops go, they are small cigar shaped and each poop 2 times a day , one in the morning and one at night.

Just curious as to how many brands of dog food you have used over the course of the last 20 years? I also do not want you to think i am bashing you for trying to help people but if you have not used the food how can you tell some else that it is crap. I agree that alot of cheaper brands are crap like ol roy and kibbles and bits, purina dog chow etc, but there are a few that are not.

I get the impression of brow beating just by reading the posts about what food to feed and they are all the same, "if you dont feed this brand then your a bad doggy mommy and your dogs going to have health problems later on" its not said directly but if you read between the lines thats how i interpret it, thats just me and my opinion. And i dont want anyone jumping on my bandwagon as this is not why i responded.

Actually if you have read any of my posts you'll see what my usual recommendations are and that I have made and do make many other suggestions dependent on what people are able to find in their area and what their budgets are. Earthborn Coastal Catch which is what my dogs are loving right now costs me $43 for a 28lb bag and feeds two dogs a 100+lb mastiff pup and German Shepherd for 3 weeks. I also just used Pedigree Large Breed as an example btw. And Aaron, I'm in school to be a vet tech, work at an animal shelter and yes the nutritionist who I get my information from and who charges $50 just for a consult about what someone's issues and needs are, has gone to school to be both a vet tech and a nutritionist. I'm sure many people would rather not pay over $50 just to talk to someone who knows food so I do my best to help for free. Also I've called or emailed close to every dog food company there is personally to get information for either the dog food guide I'm compiling or for someone who has questions and I've literally done thousands of hours of research on dog food. Over the last couple of years my dogs have been on many foods because they have had issues whether it be with the food or them so it's not like I tried one and it was a perfect match. Rarely does it work that way. The Whole Dog Journal publishes an issue every year about what foods might their very strict quality criteria and what to look for in a food and what to avoid. Not to mention sites like dog food advisor, dog food analysis, and MANY others that all tell you what ingredients are junk and what aren't. The reason most of the foods that are sold in Walmart and the grocery store are so cheap is because they are inferior quality ingredients. If that works for your dog awesome, if not sorry to hear that. Using an argument that all your dogs for 35 years have done great on these foods is putting all dogs into a one size fits all category, like many vets do, and it's not right. Every dog is different and different things work for different dogs. I can discuss this all day but obviously we're never going to be on the same page and I'm okay with that.

 

[russelgrane]

Generally it is found that mastiffs have problems with grains and chicken that's why I recommend people to go for grain free and chicken free meal. Their calcium levels should be lower than 1.7 %.

 

[charger02]

Amen mountainfila. I agree. I hold off responding to several posts on this site from fear of the wrath of the food police, the spay/nueter police, the crate police. I feed a middle of the road food and my dog is doing great. If for some reason she does not live to be 13 years old, I will let everyone know. But even then, no one could prove it was her diet, spaying, running too much etc..
This site occasionalky has good advice and its a treat hearing everyines stories similar tI have thought about deleting my account several times but cannot figure out how! Anyone know?

---------- Post added at 07:57 PM ---------- Previous post was at 07:53 PM ----------

damned tablet. was going to finish by saying and i enjoy reading everyones stories that are similar to mine, but sometimes i think about deleting my account. can someone tell me how to do that? thanks!

I gotta agree with aaroni and mtnfila. There is a lot of good info on this site but heaven forbid you disagree with the food/crate/spay-nueter of choice. I see similar attitudes in gun forums if your weapon of choice is not "board approved." I refer to it as being a gun snob!

Either way the info here, whether you agree or not, does challenge you to do research on the products you purchase for your dogs. And by research I am talking about going a little deeper than forum opinions based on experience limited experience.