# Anyone using Innova large breed dry puppy food?



## kimrisa (Jan 17, 2010)

Hello..I'm thrilled to have found this forum. I have an 11 week old English bulldog puppy and have been advised to transition him to adult dog food with a protein level of 20-25% soon because regular puppy food will cause him to grow too rapidly and will cause joint and bowlegged problems. I've discovered that Innova makes puppy food geared towards large breed dogs to address this problem. I've also heard that Innova is an excellent brand of food. Does anyone use this large breed puppy formula or recommend other formulas along these lines?

Thanks!


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## Gia (May 29, 2009)

You've picked a great brand! Good choice, see how he does on it. Some dogs can't handle Innova, because it is pretty rich and has a lot of different ingredients. The dogs I've seen that eat it always look like a million bucks!

I've fed their Large Breed Adult formula and although my dogs loved it, only one of them could digest it properly. The larger dog, my German Shepherd, could never get a solid stool while on it. The medium sized dog ate it without any problems, but it really wasn't formulated for medium sized dogs!

I still think it is a fantastic food!


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## GermanSheperdlover (Nov 15, 2009)

I feed my GSP Innova Large breed puppy food for awhile and it worked out great, good food. I switched over to Orijen large breed puppy, because I feel Orijen is the best kibble out there and my dog loves the taste. Innova also makes a large breed canned puppy food, good stuff. I must admit I rotate his food and he loves the new tastes. I have also started to give him small amounts of adult food beause he loves duck (Taste of the wild and fromm). He is gonna be 8 months on th 21st. Horizon Leacy also makes a very good L.B.P food but my dog really did not like the taste. We also rotate California Natural Lamb, he likes that also.


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## Todd (Jan 13, 2010)

Although I feed my dog a raw diet now, I did in fact feed her Innova when she was a puppy. It's the perfect kibble for a puppy because it isn't too rich or have too much protein, which can cause them to grow too fast/cause growth problems later in life. 

So yes, Innova is a great choice. However, you may want to switch to other similar brands occasionaly, so you can implement a variety of different meat sources into your dogs diet. Below, I have listed some other good brands with similar protein content as Innova for variation;

-California Natural

-Wellness (Not Wellness Core)

-Merrick

-Natural Balance

-Chicken Soup For The Pet Lover's Soul 

-AvoDerm 

-Fromm

-Premium Edge

*Hope I was of some help!:smile:


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## kimrisa (Jan 17, 2010)

Thanks for the post!! My pup is currently on California Natural puppy and doing pretty good but his stools are soft. So if the innova puppy formula is rich that might not work for him...My other option is to go to the California Natural lamb and chicken adult small bites or the California Natural Chicken and Rice, regular bites formula, which are lower in protein than regular puppy kibble. I heard I need to transition over soon to avoid growth problems later. Decisionsl...decisions. There are just so many choices out there! Thanks again!


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## kimrisa (Jan 17, 2010)

GermanSheperdlover said:


> I feed my GSP Innova Large breed puppy food for awhile and it worked out great, good food. I switched over to Orijen large breed puppy, because I feel Orijen is the best kibble out there and my dog loves the taste. Innova also makes a large breed canned puppy food, good stuff. I must admit I rotate his food and he loves the new tastes. I have also started to give him small amounts of adult food beause he loves duck (Taste of the wild and fromm). He is gonna be 8 months on th 21st. Horizon Leacy also makes a very good L.B.P food but my dog really did not like the taste. We also rotate California Natural Lamb, he likes that also.


Thanks for sharing your feedback--it's much appreciated! I'll also check out the Orijen and the Horizon Leacy forms of the puppy kibble. Were you using the California Natural lamb puppy formula or the adult formula? I'm thinking of trying the California Natural lamb and rice small bites since it's geared toward sensitive tummies!


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## kimrisa (Jan 17, 2010)

Thanks for this list of foods and for the feedback--this is awesome and much appreciated! If I transition to regular dog food from puppy kibble do you think that 5 months is the right time for a large breed dog?


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## Khan (Jan 17, 2010)

Although the protein levels are high. It is now not considered "taboo" for a large breed to eat high protein as once thought. If the calcium is below 1.5% and the phosphorous is below 0.9-1.0% a large breed dog, who you do not want to grow too quickly, will do just fine on a high protein diet. Some puppies may be sensitive to lamb, grain, etc. If you notice excess gas, that could be a sign that the food is too complex. California Natural, or a limited ingredient food may be the way to go.


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## rannmiller (Jun 27, 2008)

Orijen also has a large breed formula.


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## kimrisa (Jan 17, 2010)

Thanks for the post, Khan! I have also ready that they are also rethinking the whole high protein thing. This is my dilemma--keep him on California Natural Puppy, which has a protein level of 26%, switch him to a large breed puppy kibble, such as Innova with a protein level of 24% or transition him to a California Natural adult formula. There are two with California Natural adults with 21% protein (Lamb and rice, small bites) or Chicken and Rice adult (regular bites.) We are talking about a protein difference of 3%. A lot of English bulldog owners say you have to switch to adult food by 3-5 months but is it really going to harm my dog to be on puppy kibble till he's 5 months if the protein % is 26%...?


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## kimrisa (Jan 17, 2010)

Thanks--I'll check out Orijen!!


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## Khan (Jan 17, 2010)

I don't think switching or keeping him on the puppy food will be that big of a deal. Khan was never on puppy food. I brought him home and he went straight to adult food. Again, alot of the reason why puppy food was not suggested was because it tends to be higher protein than adult food. I think the real factor is what the food ingredients are, and how your dog's system handles it. If you see (smell) more gas on the Innova then say the Cal. Natural, then chances are that food is too complex. I fed Innova for years, and lived with gas. After switching to Cal. Natural the gas was gone within a week. Hope this helps.


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## kimrisa (Jan 17, 2010)

Thanks, Khan! Since English bullies are supposedly gassy creatures by nature and my pup doesn't experience any of that on C. Natural maybe I should keep him on that brand of food and just switch to the adult formula of C. Natural when needed since that is supposedly designed for sensitive tummies.

Thanks again!


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## chowder (Sep 7, 2008)

Rocky was on Innova Large Breed Puppy and I switched him over to Orijen Large Breed Puppy. My Chow breeder wanted me to switch all my chows over to adult food at 4 months and keep them on low protein but she was of the old school that fed food with grain in it and my last two chows from her had health and allergy problems on the food she promoted.

Rocky did have some gas issues while transitioning over to the Innova and then to Orijen, the same as my Lhasa did while changing over to Evo but it went away after a week or two. I think any dog that changes to a grain free will take a bit to adjust and will be a bit gassy. I just warned my son that his new rescue Boxer will be gassy while he is changing him over to Evo and he is having the same problem. It will go away.

Rocky did really well on both the Innova Large Breed Puppy and the Orijen Large Breed Puppy. I switched him to adult somewhere after a year but I dont think it really mattered. He prefers the taste of Evo which is the grain free made by Innova but I rotate him between Orijen and Evo. The California Natural is heavy in rice and not as much meat so it may take some time for your dog to adjust to a grain free if you go that route. It did for my Lhasa. She was pretty gassy for awhile but now doesn't want to finish the CN kibble we have left, she prefers the EVO and spits out the CN that are in the bowl! She is also growing her hair back and getting much perkier and happier at 13 years old and after years of allergies so the CN didn't help her at all with that. 

Good luck with your little guy!


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## kimrisa (Jan 17, 2010)

Hi Chowder,

Thanks for the post! Glad to hear that you found the right food for your pups. I used to have Lhasa as a kid and they hold a special place in my heart. My English Bullie loves the California Natural chicken and rice puppy formula. No gas...just soft poop. I will probably transition him to the adult formula of C. Natural at around 4-5 months and see how that goes before considering other brands. I heard C. Natural is good for sensitive tummies and Innova puppy may be too rich for him. We are talking about 26% for the puppy formula as opposed to 21% for the adult formula. I'm told that anything between 20-25% protein is good for English bulldogs so we're talking about 1% more if we stay on the puppy formula. So is it really necessary to make the switch to the adult formula...?

Take care,

Kim


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## chowder (Sep 7, 2008)

kimrisa said:


> Hi Chowder,
> 
> Thanks for the post! Glad to hear that you found the right food for your pups. I used to have Lhasa as a kid and they hold a special place in my heart. My English Bullie loves the California Natural chicken and rice puppy formula. No gas...just soft poop. I will probably transition him to the adult formula of C. Natural at around 4-5 months and see how that goes before considering other brands. I heard C. Natural is good for sensitive tummies and Innova puppy may be too rich for him. We are talking about 26% for the puppy formula as opposed to 21% for the adult formula. I'm told that anything between 20-25% protein is good for English bulldogs so we're talking about 1% more if we stay on the puppy formula. So is it really necessary to make the switch to the adult formula...?
> 
> ...


He really shouldn't be having soft poops on California Natural since it is mostly chicken and rice and that is what they tell you to give dogs who are having diarhea to stop them up. If he is on a food that is agreeing with him, he should be having nice, tiny, firm little poops (not to be too graphic here!). Rocky is 75 pounds and has a tiny little pile about the size of my finger that I can pick up with a doggie bag really easy. Switching from puppy to adult isn't really that important. I think I did Rocky at about 18 months but it's more a marketing ploy.....not all that crucial to the dog if you are feeding him a good dog food. 

My chow breeder used to recommend that I put my puppies on adult food at 4 months and recommended a food I don't use anymore but then I had two dogs from her with major health and allergy problems so with Rocky I started him on Innova puppy at 8 weeks and then switched to Orijen large breed puppy at 5 months when I decided to go grain free. He's been on grain free ever since and is very slim, muscular, and healthy. He has done so well that I have just switched Chelsy over to grain free at 12 years old. She has been on all different foods trying to solve her allergies and colitis. They have always told me to keep her on low protein because of her being a Lhasa and her age but she is doing the best she ever has since she has been on the high protein Evo. She runs around and yaps and loves the food. And there hasn't been any of her colitis problems. 

So I have rethought the whole low protein/high protein thing after a lot of research and seeing how the raw feeders on this forum think and feed their dogs. While I don't do raw feeding, I do grain free which is as close as I can come right now and does involve high protein. It is something to consider that you might want to look into. I would read as much as possible and check around, and if you decide to change foods, do it REALLY slowly. No sense rushing anything and upsetting his stomach and taking any steps backwards.


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## kimrisa (Jan 17, 2010)

Thank you SO much for taking the time to write me such a detailed response--it really means a lot. We went to our vet today and he said that since Tuffy is gaining weight and healthy that the soft poop isn't a real reason for concern at this point but if we are still having problems by the next visit in 3 weeks we could discuss the possibility of switching foods. I did raise the question of grain free foods but he didn't think that Tuffy has a grain allergy since he is thriving. I have one more question for you regarding grain free foods--you mentioned that Chelsey is very slim. Did you notice a weight loss after switching to high protein/grain foods. It was my understanding that these foods are comparable in terms of calories. 

Thanks again for everything. You've shed a lot of light on all this.


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