Is it a big difference between purina puppy food and purina big breed puppy food?

Probably.  But I wouldn't feed either to a pup.  Mostly corn, grain fragments and all kinds of stuff that really isn't good for them.

compare the ingredients a lot of the time with different age group foods they are the same its just hype. For the health of your dogs I would get them off anything that has these things in them Whole grain corn, chicken by-product meal, corn gluten meal, animal fat , animal digest, 1) corn as the first ingredient , and the 3rd means you food is 3/4 corn ,not healthy 2) chicken by products =Byproducts are basically anything left over of animal carcasses after the parts destined for human consumption have been removed. This can include organs, intestines, heads, feet, and so on. If you check the "Ingredient Details" page on this site, you will find official definitions. Pay close attention to their wording! 3( corn again 4) animal fat= restaurant grease that has sat in barrels in the back of restaurants for we dont know how long then reprocessed and used on pet food 5 Animal Digest: This is the dry by-product of rendered meat. During rendering, all usable animal parts (including fetal tissues and glandular wastes) are heated in vats and the liquid is separated from the dry meal. This meal is covered with charcoal and labeled "unfit for human consumption" before processing it into pet food. Digest can also include intestines, as well as the contents of those intestines, such as stool, bile, parasites and chemicals. I know they have these happy commercials and tell you how healthy you dog will be if is eats the food but I don't know how that is possible with these ingredients

I use to feed Smokey Sience Diet. Just like Purina it had alot of corn. Smokey was always hungry. Her poop liked like pudding and had a yellow color. I feed her Sience Diet because alot of vets reconmend it. Then I found out these vets get a kick back from the company. You can google rateings for dog food. Purina just like Sience Diet is rated very low.

Rose

Wouldn't you always be hungry if all you ate was corn, and what would you expect your poop to look like. • Most veterinarians do not have any significant training in pet nutrition. • Veterinarians often know nothing more about nutrition than the small amount they were taught in veterinary school. The textbooks and other nutritional information provided to students and veterinarians at continuing education seminars usually come from pet food companies that do not make “natural” diets. IAMS, Purina, and other well-known manufacturers offer additional perks for students. Purina, for example, provides several wonderful monographs on a variety of topics, including radiology, cytology, bone marrow disorders, and urinary problems. These pet food companies provide the diets used in veterinary hospitals to feed patients, and also offer these products free or at a greatly reduced price to students and staff. This is the only reason the vets recommend them not because they are good for your pets. They don't know what a wholesome diet is. I not only want my dogs to live a long life but a healthy one and I don't think these ingredients are the way to do this.

I found out how bad Sience Diet is last month. I then went to a feed store and purchase a dog food they recomended. It has no corn or chicken by products. I was going to change Smokey's food slowly, but once she tasted the new food. She would have no part of the Sience Diet. Smokey is doing fine, she is on longer hungry all the time, and her poop looks great ;) . 

Good food cost a little more, but it is so worth it.

Smokey sounds like a smart dog. Healthy dogs live longer and dont have to visit the vet so much. You will save in the long run. Good for you and really good for her.

How old is your dog?  If you don't know the breeds your lab is mixed with, you want to monitor bone growth rates, particularly with labs in the mix.  Bones that grow too long/too fast will throw the alignment off and can exacerbate hip dysplasia potential.

If cost is a concern, when your dog is an adult, the Kirkland brand dog food available at Costco is only about $20 for a 40lb bag and has decent ingredients - learn what you can here about what to look for in the ingredient lists, then compare that to the Kirkland brand foods at Costco.

 

Thanks guys! This helps a lot.

 RoseOOPS, what brand was it that you switched to? That sounds like a great switch!

The age and other breeds, lab/golden/chow mix. 3 weeks old. The mom wont feed anymore but once a day. We were already feeding some soft food here and there. But now that there is more dependance on me to feed, I am needing something more healthy. I cant find ANY soft puppy food. So I am soaking hard puppy food until its mush. I got puppy purina because it said on the package that it has the same stuff that mothers milk has. Then I saw big breed purina. Didnt know if there was a big differance or if they shouldnt have the big breed so young or what. I got the puppy food without big breed just incase it wasnt a good idea.

So, you told me what wasnt a good idea to feed. So, what IS a good idea to feed? Brands, I mean.. Any brands or mix of brands that have become a favorite?

Pupsday, 

I Googled rate your dog food. There is so much info out there that I did not know which dry food to go with. So I went to the local feed store. This store has been around for years and years. The man asked about my dog, size, age, etc. He told me to try Professonal for large breed puppies. It cost a little more than the Sience Diet, but I use a cup less. I have only seen this brand at feed store. Seeing that the pups are only 3 weeks old I would ask a professonal. Maybe a vet, or breeder that you trust. I do know that you can buy bitchs milk, and maybe soak the food in that. But because of their age I would ask someone who has dealt with this.

One brand that rated A+ that would be easy to find is Costco's Kirkland.

IMO the best website for dog food information is, hands down, The Dog Food Project.

I've yet to read any rating system that wasn't unlogically arbitrary to downright silly.

For a three week old puppy, I'd be getting some puppy milk replacer, which should be available at any pet store.  At three weeks I'd guess they might be ready for a little puppy food, but still should be getting part of their nutrition from puppy milk.  But that's just a guess.  Hopefully someone with experience will chime in.

You can make your own milk replacement.  I'm trying to remember precisely and I don't, but it's something like a can of condensed milk, a raw egg and a tsp of caro syrup.  Someone needs to confirm that before you use it!!!!

For babies this young, I'd absolutely go with a high quality lg breed puppy food.  Blue Buffalo has a nice one, as do several other super premium manufacturers.

You don't want to soak the kibble.  You want to toss a handful in the blender and pulverize it.  You'll heat the milk replacement and add small amounts of pulverized kibble to that to make a very thin gruel.  Someone told me, eons ago, about not heating the actual kibble and I've forgotten why.

Thanks everyone.. This is the information I needed. Pups say thank you too..

*** van Pattens food is a good choice . Check the ingredients in the breed or size specific foods a lot of times the ingredients are the same it is a marketing tool. Make sure you are getting what you are paying for. What do I feed my orphaned puppy? Total nutrition for the newborn orphans must be supplied by a milk replacer until the puppies are about three weeks of age. At this age, the puppies are ready to start nibbling moistened solid food. Preferred diets: 1. A commercial puppy milk replacer 2. For short-term emergencies: 1 cup of milk 1 tablespoon corn oil 1 pinch of salt 3 egg yolks (no whites) Blend mixture uniformly. When does the puppy start to eat from a bowl? By three weeks the puppy can start to eat food from the dish along with the milk replacer. A gruel can be made by thoroughly mixing a puppy food (canned or dry) with the milk replacer to reach the consistency of a thick milk shake. The mixture should not be too thick at first or the puppy will not consume very much. As the consumption of food increases, the amount of milk replacer can be gradually decreased. By four to four and one-half weeks, the orphaned puppy can consume enough moistened solid food to meet his needs. It is better to avoid starting a puppy on a baby food regimen. This creates extra work and can also create a finicky eater. Many such foods will not meet the nutritional needs of a growing puppy. Baby food also adds onion which dogs can not eat.

Since Mom is feeding them once a day, they are still getting some mothers milk.

The much better foods ARE pricier, but you need to feed so much less that it really balances out.  You also get much nicer stool.

I start with a thin gruel, made as I described above, and gradually thicken it.  You do want it to be warm since their systems are used to warm milk, but as I said, don't heat the ground kibble.

I'm a little concerned about the egg yolk without white suggestion.  One part of the egg has something that can cause an issue unless balanced by the other, and of course I don't recall which it is.  I just always use the entire egg.

Sorry, I get information and remember the stuff that is important to me, but always forget the specifics that others might want.