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Which one is best?

tessym3

New Member
Hello, I'm a new mastiff mommy. My boy is 9weeks and currently on purina puppy chow...crap, I know. That's what the breeder had him on. I have been racking my brain trying to find a great food and I think I have narrowed it down. Here are my top 2 picks and a few questions. If anyone has any other ideas I'd be glad to hear them.

#1. Eagle Pack Natural Large & Giant Breed Puppy Formula ...(Is having the rice and corn as some of the first ingredients a worry? & what about when it states 'meal'?) Everyone talks great on it but I don't know what to think??

Lamb Meal, Ground Brown Rice, Ground White Rice, Ground Yellow Corn, Chicken Meal, Dried Beet Pulp, Chicken Fat (Preserved with Natural Mixed Tocopherols), Oatmeal, Anchovy & Sardine Meal, Flaxseed, Brewers Dried Yeast, Menhaden Fish Oil, Dried Egg Product, Wheat Germ Meal, Salt, Potassium Chloride, Inulin, DL-Methionine, Beta-Carotene, Vitamins [Vitamin A Supplement, Vitamin D-3 Supplement, Vitamin E Supplement, Riboflavin Supplement, Vitamin B-12 Supplement, d-Calcium Pantothenate, Niacin Supplement, Pyridoxine Hydrochloride, Thiamine Mononitrate, Folic Acid, Ascorbic Acid (Vitamin C), Biotin], Minerals [Polysaccharide Complexes of Zinc, Iron, Manganese and Copper, Cobalt Carbonate, Potassium Iodate, Sodium Selenite], Choline Chloride, Dried Kelp, Lecithin, Rosemary Extract, Yucca Schidigera Extract, Dried Lactobacillus acidophilus, Lactobacillus casei, Enterococcus faecium, Bacillus subtilus, Bacillus licheniformis, Aspergillus oryzae and Aspergillus niger Fermentation Products, Mixed Tocopherols (a natural preservative).

#2.Taste of The Wild Sierra Mountain Canine Formula with Roasted Lamb...(I have read it's the only one in this line pups can have. Seems great but I read where they have been part of a recall so lots of people are avoiding them now? I can get this one locally so that and because people rave on it and I like the sounds of the ingredients too is why it was a consideration. The recall thing has me worried tho.)

Lamb, lamb meal, sweet potatoes, potatoes, peas, canola oil, pea protein, roasted lamb, tomato pomace, natural flavor, salt, choline chloride, mixed tocopherols (a source of vitamin E), dried chicory root, taurine, tomatoes, blueberries, raspberries, yucca schidigera extract, dried Enterococcus faecium fermentation product, dried Lactobacillus acidophilus fermentation product, dried Lactobacillus casei fermentation product, dried Lactobacillus plantarum fermentation product, dried Trichoderma longibrachiatum fermentation extract, vitamin E supplement, iron proteinate, zinc proteinate, copper proteinate, ferrous sulfate, zinc sulfate, copper sulfate, potassium iodide, thiamine mononitrate (vitamin B1), manganese proteinate, manganous oxide, ascorbic acid, vitamin A supplement, biotin, niacin, calcium pantothenate, manganese sulfate, sodium selenite, pyridoxine hydrochloride (vitamin B6), vitamin B12 supplement, riboflavin (vitamin B2), vitamin D supplement, folic acid.

I want what's best for my boy within reason of price. I have looked at so many brands and read what ratio's ect. that my brain is starting to turn to mush.. I would really appreciate it if anyone could help. Thanks.
 

musicdeb

Well-Known Member
Welcome aboard~ Do you have pics of your baby? What is their name? The food experts will pipe in and help you out. Did you do a search on the forum for these brands? There are a lot of posts about food for puppies.
 

Robtouw

Well-Known Member
I prefer to keep my mastiff pups on a premium large breed puppy food for three months and then transition over to an adult feed that is not excessive in protein, calcium and does not have joint supplements.

Lamb Meal, Ground Brown Rice, Ground White Rice, Ground Yellow Corn, Chicken Meal, Dried Beet Pulp, Chicken Fat
the ingredients here ie rice, corn, beet pulp are all fillers and are not there for nutritional content. Many mastiffs are sensitive to chicken especially in meal form which includes bone, beaks, and feet, all parts ground. The chicken causes gas, diarrhea, skin issues, itching in dogs with sensitivity. Potatos and high starches can cause yeast to increase in the skin causing itching. I am not saying you will have issues, but giving some info on common side effects to watch for.

You did not post what kind of mastiff you have. My experience is with OEMs.

My oem pup is 6 months and is on TOW Bison & venison by default. By that I mean I hate Diamond processing....hate...hate...hate them and do not trust them at all, but TOW is a decent food product by design. I constantly watch several websites for recalls. While I have access to most premium feeds and have tried most, Cruiser has been very difficult with feeding and sensitivities and does well on the Bison formula.

Dogfoodanalysis.com is a good site that will give you an analysis of the ingredients by value.

Do not be discouraged if your pup does not handle the choice you make well, it make take some trial to find the right food. I have tried 7 different feeds before settling on TOW. When changing your pup over to a new feed product, either blend it slowly with the old food or begin a bland diet of rice and boiled hamburger or chicken. Feed the mixture a couple of days, then slowly add the new food into the mix and over the course of a few days increase the kibble and begin deleting the mixture. This helps basically reset the stomach and makes it easier for him to transition without elevating stomach gasses/acid levels.

Good luck with your pup!
 

STEVSH

Well-Known Member
I had ours on Taste of the Wild Sierra Mountain and Topaz thrived on it. Beautiful coat, gas went away completely! I just switched recently because I couldn't afford it anymore.
 

tessym3

New Member
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Here's a few pics of Sammie (OEM). I did do some searching around on here before posting and I think all the info on what food to use or to feed raw, it was a bit overwhelming. I've never had a dog before but I just thought feeding a mastiff would be no different than any other dog, only he would eat more.. :)

Thank you for the info Robtouw, I was afraid that was the case, glad I didn't order a bag yet. I'll check that site out..also would you mind to give me the names of the sites you visit for recalls?

Stevsh, that's great, may I ask what you chose to switch too? I know my husband is going to flip when I tell him how much TOW is going to cost us. On average how soon does he go through a 30lb bag?

I've been having a hard time finding food that's not made by Diamond that would work for Sammie. So as of now I think I might go with TOW. I don't know if it's normal at his age but he seems chubby to me and is wobbly when he walks and tends to fall over easily. I'm afraid the puppy chow he's been on is making him too heavy. Guess I'll know for sure when we see the vet.
Thanks for all your help.
 

ruthcatrin

Well-Known Member
Totw isn't bad, once you get past who makes it. Haven't looked closely at that one but just make sure that the calcium is between 1 and 1.8 and that the calcium/phosphorus ratio is 1.2 to 1 as not all their forumlas fit that requirement.

Not a fan of corn in dog food at all, and if I can manage I try to avoid grains in the first 3or 4 imgrediants, but ots not always possible.

Weight wise: can you tell where his ribs are when you run your hands down his sides? If you can tell where the last couple ribs are but not actually be able to slot your fingers in between then he's good. If theres a good lAyer of fat over those ribs he could be a bit leaner.

He's a cutie!
 

Robtouw

Well-Known Member
Sammie looks like a healthy, beautiful pup! Wobbling and tripping and falling over their feet is a mastiff thing! Around 4 months or so, he will get better with his paws and wont fall as much. Their feet are just so big and it takes a bit to learn to use them! He should look a little chubby, around the 4-5 month range he will begin to lengthen and will start to get that tall lanky look around 6 months where he will be all legs! My guy is 6 months and a 15lb bag of TOW lasts about two weeks. But I add meats, veggies, yogurts, etc in addition to the kibble.

I will get you a list of sites to watch for the TOW recall. Somewhere in my inbox I have an email from TOW that tells you how to read the stamping on the bag to determine what plant/manufactured date/batch # you have. They were pretty receptive to my questions and gave me answers to any question I asked.

---------- Post added at 09:24 AM ---------- Previous post was at 09:16 AM ----------

Here you go!

http://www.fda.gov/AnimalVeterinary/default.htm click on safety & health

http://www.accessdata.fda.gov/scripts/newpetfoodrecalls/

http://www.dogfoodadvisor.com/dog-food-recalls/

You can also contact TOW and they will email you a recall notice for the product you use if you ask. I am on a listing for their Bison product. The up side to letting them do that is they also email coupons.
 

STEVSH

Well-Known Member
We switched to American Natural Premium Sensitive (It's made by Fromm I think). Mainly because it is made locally and I like to support that. And it's $15 less and 3lbs more per bag :) That helped! There is chicken meal in it which makes Topaz gassy, but nothing unbearable yet. We're willing to deal with a stray toot every once in awhile for the price. :)

I also had them on Chicken Soup for the Dog Lover's Soul which they did just fine on as well. It just made Topaz SO gassy. We couldn't take it anymore. But our Catahoula did very well on it.

I never had an issue with TOTW, and the Sierra Mountain wasn't recalled. At least for my area here in WI. I have two dogs that were on it and the the 30lb bag would last about 3 weeks.
 

Sadies Mom

Well-Known Member
TOTW has two Puppy/all lifestages with the appropriate calcium/phosphorus levels (1.4/1 as fed). Sadie is on the Pacific Stream Puppy Formula. The reason I chose that one was the levels are AS FED, not minimum or maximum levels, so you do not really know how much they are getting. They also have feeding guide lines for both puppies and adults on the bag and it goes up to 175lbs. I have had a lot of food issues with Sadie and she is doing great on this one. It is very confusing and frustrating looking at all the different foods available today. I tried foods that others have recommended and she did not do well on it. Sometimes trial and error is the only way of finding the right food for you pup. Good Luck
 

tessym3

New Member
Thanks for all the help and info guys, I think Sammie is fine with weight, I can feel his last rib. It's good to know the falling down is to be expected. He was at the vet right before he came to us a week ago and everything checked out so I guess I shouldn't have been too concerned..
Thanks for the links Rob and I'll sign up to be on the recall list.
Sadies Mom, I didn't realize the pacific stream puppy formula was ok to use. I'll check that one out too.
We did just start introducing him to totw last night and he went nuts over it..trying to pick it out of the puppy chow..lol
Thank you all again for your help and yes, he his adorable and terribly spoiled:)