Should I feed a large breed adult food?

First of all, what kind of food is he eating right now? I wouldn't feed CS. I usually recommend Authority Home Style (or whatever the baked authority is called; plain Authroty is fine if budgets are low) or Blue Buffalo. If it was my choice, I would say no ibble at all, as I feed all of my animals what they would eat in the wild. Raw for cats, dogs, ferrets, raw fruit and veggies for the birdies, fish for the duck, and a whate ever we have left over fruit and veggie wise and crickets for the bearded dragon.

Also, I would give only raw chicken on top and no rice. The rice is fattening, and nnot necessary. If you want to give some sort of grain, a little sprinkling of raw, plain oatmeal is fine, This is what I feed my 25 pound Border collie puppy for breakfast...this should give you a good estimate for additional supplements:


One cup of plain Kefir (or yogurt)
One pork heart (or some sort of organ meat)
One half cup of oatmeal
One 1000 mg of fishoil
One 500 mg of Pycogenol
One quarter cup of pulverized green beans, dandelion leaves, kale (all together, not seperately)


I would also give 1-2 whole eggs. I give my BC a whole egg, and she cracks it and eats the whole thing. If your boy won't eat the shell, crush it to tiny bits and mix it in the kibble.

ORIGINAL: belgmal_girl

First of all, what kind of food is he eating right now?

I don't know what kind of kibble. I just adopted him this past weekend, and his foster was feeding him some kibble with some cooked chicken in with it. I went and bought some redular Adult CS yesterday, and gave him a couple pieces to see if he liked it. Then I noticed that it was expired by about 1 1/2 months. [:'(] I called them and they gladly exchanged my opened bag for another one that wasn't expired, and they kicked in an extra one to boot. The bag that I got must have been overlooked when they checked the shelves, because they said they just threw out all the old food last week. They didn't have any large breed but said they could get it for me.
 

I wouldn't feed CS. I usually recommend Authority Home Style (or whatever the baked authority is called; plain Authroty is fine if budgets are low) or Blue Buffalo.

Why do you say that you wouldn't feed Chicken Soup? I've been researching the ingredients and it seems like a great quality kibble for the price.

If it was my choice, I would say no ibble at all, as I feed all of my animals what they would eat in the wild.

Well time and money constraints keep me from feeding raw all the time. I've decided that I'm going to do a high quality kibble that's avaiable within 1 hour of me. They sell CS right down the road. I also decided to do yogurt and a Glucosamine tablet in each meal. And when money allows, or when I find a good deal on some raw stuff, he'll get that on top.

Also, I would give only raw chicken on top and no rice. The rice is fattening, and nnot necessary. If you want to give some sort of grain, a little sprinkling of raw, plain oatmeal is fine,

His foster didn't have very much of the kibble left so she gave me some rice and said that I could add some rice and chicken to it to make it go further, til I could get into the store to get some.

One 1000 mg of fishoil
One 500 mg of Pycogenol

What does Fish Oil actually do for them? I've been wondering that for a while. Also, I've never even heard of Pycogenol. What is it?

Why do you say that you wouldn't feed Chicken Soup? I've been researching the ingredients and it seems like a great quality kibble for the price.

 
It is. I would feed Chicken Soup over Authority anything.
 

What does Fish Oil actually do for them?

 
Omega 3 fatty acids. Dogs (and people!) need them for healthy skin and coat, plus they're great for heart health, the brain, and they're anti-inflammatory, so if a dog has arthritis, allergies, etc., they can help immensely with that. Normally, meat is quite high in Omega 3s, but factory farmed meat is not, so that's why you have to supplement it, unless you're feeding organic, grass-fed meat, which is ridiculously expensive.

Pycogenol is a French pine bark that aids in circualtion in the brain and heart. I take it myself, along with all of my dogs. It can help aid in the prevention in cancer along with dandelion and kale, and promotes an all around healthy dog.


As for feeding CS, I tried it and never really had much success. Evana;s coat was brittle and dull, and she smelled even after bathing. I switched her to raw and everything was better after that.

Thanks for the posts.

But I still don't know if I should feed him a large breed food or not. If it won't really matter, then which one has the better ingredients?
Here's the first couple from the regular adult:
Chicken, turkey, chicken meal, ocean fish meal, cracked pearled barley, whole grain brown rice, oatmeal, millet, white rice, chicken fat (preserved with mixed tocopherols), potatoes, egg product, tomato pomace, duck, salmon, flaxseed,

And here's the Large Breed:
Chicken, turkey, chicken meal, cracked pearled barley, whole grain brown rice, oatmeal, millet, white rice, ocean fish meal, chicken fat (preserved with mixed tocopherols), potatoes, tomato pomace, duck, salmon, egg product, flaxseed,

The only difference is that Ocean fish meal is listed higher on the list in the regular adult. Since they have done away with the Ocean fish meal preserved with ethoxyquin, and that it is now naturally preserved, would it be better to go with the regular? I'm assuming that having more meat/meal higher in the list is a better thing. 

I'm assuming the analysis would differ significantly? Could you post that,particularly the calcium levels,which would probably be lower in the large breed version..

Going by just the ingredients i would go for the regular adult version,for the same reasons you stated.

IMHO i dont think you have to bother with a large breed food for a dog the size of a golden,they're more medium size..

there's no reason why an adult large dog requires a special food. Chicken Soup is an excellent brand, far superior to Authority. You may wish to supplement with a fresh source of omega 3 fatty acids-- it's unstable and despite what the bag says most kibbles don't contain enough by the time it hits your dog. Fish body oil cold-pressed and stored in the dark and cold is your best source. You may also wish to add a joint supplement and additional fresh sources of protein.

ORIGINAL: Edie

I'm assuming the analysis would differ significantly? Could you post that,particularly the calcium levels,which would probably be lower in the large breed version..

Regular Adult:
Guaranteed Analysis Crude Protein 24.0% Minimum Crude Fat 14.0% Minimum Crude Fiber 3.0% Maximum Moisture 10.0% Maximum Sodium 0.3% Maximum Zinc 150 mg/kg Minimum Selenium 0.4 mg/kg Minimum Vitamin E 300 IU/kg Minimum Omega-6 Fatty Acids * 2.2% Minimum Omega-3 Fatty Acids * 0.4% Minimum

Large Breed:
Guaranteed Analysis Crude Protein 23.0% Minimum Crude Fat 13.0% Minimum Crude Fiber 4.0% Maximum Moisture 10.0% Maximum Sodium 0.3% Maximum Zinc 150 mg/kg Minimum Selenium 0.4 mg/kg Minimum Vitamin E 300 IU/kg Minimum Omega-6 Fatty Acids * 2.2% Minimum Omega-3 Fatty Acids * 0.4% Minimum L-Carnitine * 40 mg/kg Minimum Glucosamine Hydrochloride * 1000 mg/kg Minimum Chondroitin Sulfate * 250 mg/kg Minimum
I can't find the calcium levels for either one.

mudpuppy - I already do supplement his diet with a joint supplement and I do add addtional sources of protein sometimes.

Thanks to both of you. So far, I guess the consensus is that I don't need to bother feeding a large breed food. Any other suggestions?

once large breed dogs are mature it doesn't really matter what the calcium level is. I like the regular adult food better. It has slightly more protein. The primary difference between the two foods is the large breed food has some joint supplement already in it-- but not enough to do much good, and you're already supplementing, so why feed the large breed food?

Ok, that makes sense. I think I would feel better feeding the regular adult anyway because it has more meat higher in the ingredient list. Thanks for all your help.