# Dry - high protein HELP



## FaerieAutumn

Good Morning,

I have two 9 month old puppies and we have had diarhea issues off and on since we got them. They have always been on Fromms food but the vet has them on I&D to test. Well, their stools are now solid! So, I have to get new food (and training treats) but am totally lost. These guys are very LARGE (male is 90 lbs, Female 80lbs) and still growing. I do add in chicken breast for added protein but I want to get dry food that is healthy. I have been reading reviews and all are mixed for all the major brands - I was thinking Timberwolf but then I saw they are not all they are cracked up to be! So frustrating! The vet recommends Purina one..... not sure about that though with the fillers...

Also, anyone have a recommendation for bones? They go through them so fast!!!

The big guys are mixed Malmute/Shephard/X....


Any help is greatly appreciated!!!! :smile:


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## spookychick13

Have you looked into Orijen Large Breed Puppy?


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## FaerieAutumn

*Food*

Thank you for the response. I have not yet tried. I was reading about the brand though. I am in the "evaluating the next option to try" stage  I will take a look at this one.

Thanks!


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## spookychick13

When I was a kibble feeder (before I switched to PMR) I fed Orijen Large breed puppy to my Standard Poodle pup. He did pretty well on it, and I liked it because it didn't have ultra high protein levels...however it is pricey, just to warn you. 

Good luck in your search!


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## SpooOwner

There isn't a perfect kibble, and finding the right one takes trial and error. For example, my standard poodle does great on Fromm LBP but doesn't do well on Orijen LBP.

Hopefully the next bag you buy will work out, but you may need to try 2-3 more kibbles before finding one that works.

I took a look at Hill's i/d formula and didn't see any magical ingredients to help guide you to a new food.

As for RMBs, are you looking for sources? Depending on your location, you may be able to take advantage of a local buying coop to get better prices.


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## whiteleo

I would look at the Champio line of Orijen and Acana, the latter being my top choice to start with a dog that has issues with diahrrea, it is a little lower in protein than Orijen and a little less $ but still a high quality food. When picking a higher quality food remember you may be paying more $ for it but in the end you will definitely be feeding less of it than the lower end foods that are full of fillers and empty calories. Good Luck!


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## FaerieAutumn

*Trial and Error*

Ok. I will try these. I am looking for better protein for them so that food sounds pretty good and I will conitnue to suppliment with Chicken. Price should be fine...Fromms isn't cheap either! LOL

Thanks so much!


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## whiteleo

Remember to do a slow transition to a new kibble, a good rule to follow is 75% old food to 25% new food for 3-5 days with no tummy upset or loose stools then move up to 50% old food to 50% new food for another 3-5 days with no tummy upset and loose stools, and continue until you are completely on the new food.


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## FaerieAutumn

Thank you all for the advice - UPDATE:

I have been phasing in Purina Pro Plan and they do not like it! I have had to mix in water and some boiled chicken and still they fuss and graze at best. They are also expereicning gas again and some looser stools... So, I am going to try the Orijen now even though it is higher priced. 

I will keep everyone posted as hopefully my tests will help someone else too!

Anyone know anything about Blue Buffalo wilderness food, Timberwolf or Taste of the Wild?


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## whiteleo

Purina Pro plan definitely would not have been reccommended from this forum as we all pretty much think it is a horibble dog food. Glad you are choosing to go another route.

I'm still going to suggest you try the Acana line as it is lower in protein than the Orijen line but a stellar food from a stellar company. You could try it out with their small sample bags. Good Luck!


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## luvMyBRT

I too would get the Purina out of their diet asap. It is really a sub par kibble full of horrible and useless ingredients. Move on to Champion kibbles and I think your pups will be much happier. :smile:


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## cast71

FaerieAutumn said:


> Anyone know anything about Blue Buffalo wilderness food, Timberwolf or Taste of the Wild?



I've been using TOTW for a couple of years with great results. I would only use the sierra mountain formula for large breed puppies, until they are finished growing. The calcium/phosphorous levels are too high in the other formulas.


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## FaerieAutumn

*Update*

An update - they don't seem to be eating very much now at all! They kinda cPUT THE2


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## FaerieAutumn

*Update*

Sorry - Falkor pushed the send key! They seem to be putting their noses up at the food and not eating very much..... I have even added water to make it softer.... any thoughts?

I don't want to have to try 85 different kinds of food!

Eeek - frustrating!


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## cast71

FaerieAutumn said:


> Also, anyone have a recommendation for bones? They go through them so fast!!!


People here recommend deer antlers. They hold up pretty good. Wholesale to the Public: Antler Dog Chews |




FaerieAutumn said:


> Sorry - Falkor pushed the send key! They seem to be putting their noses up at the food and not eating very much..... I have even added water to make it softer.... any thoughts?
> 
> I don't want to have to try 85 different kinds of food! Unfortunately you do have to try a few different foods. Every dog is different. You have to find a food that works out for your dog. I reccomend trying the smallest size bag until you find a dogfood that woks out.
> 
> Eeek - frustrating!


What are you feeding them now? Unfortunately you do have to try a few different dog foods until you find one that works. Every dog is different. I reccomend buying the smallest size bag until you find a food that works out. Are you feeding too much? Over feeding will cause loose stools. Do not go by the chart on the back of the bag. It's over kill. Adjust the amount of food according to your dogs body. Keep them slim, especially when a large breed puppy is growing. My dog is 85 lbs. and I give him 3.5 cups of TOTW. If I fed Acana, I would feed less. Probablly around 2.5 cups.


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## FaerieAutumn

*Update*

Orijen large puppy...


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## whiteleo

I would have tried the Acana which is tried and true, but you very well may have some picky dogs that you have created. Put the food down and give them 15-20 minutes to eat, if they don't eat it then take the food dish up and put it away til the next meal time.

Continue to do this until they eat, don't coax or coddle them to eat, put the dish down and walk away.

Dogs will not starve themselves and you are offering them food each and every time, and if you continue to fix it up they will expect it everytime they don't eat what is put in front of them. Tough love is hard but sooo worth the effort. Good Luck!


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## cast71

whiteleo said:


> I would have tried the Acana which is tried and true,


I just checked the acana site and they don't list the max levels for calcium and phosphorous. The grasslands is not good for a LBP. The pacifica and the wild praire might be ok. The phosphorous is a little high. Those are the minimums. The wierd thing is, it looks like origen LBP is higher I would call up and get the max levels, but the pacifica and wild prairie look better for LBP than origen LBP. That's on paper, so it comes down to which one your puppy does well on. I like the lower protein acana better:biggrin:

The grasslands: calcium min. 2% and phosphorous min. 1.2%. 

Pacifica: calcium min. 1.4% and phosphorous min. 1.1%

Wild prairie: calcium min. 1.3% and phosphorous min. 1.1%

orijen LBP: calcium min. 1.5%, max 1.7% and phosphorous min. 1.2%, max 1.4%


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## Gia

FaerieAutumn.....I noticed that one of your beautiful pups is named Falkor...is that the white male? Did you name him after the dragon from the Neverending Story? What did you name his sister? I loved that name, btw!

Everyone has their own suggestions as to what is the best food for growing large breed puppies...personally, I can't feed Fromm's to my large breed dog without getting lots of gas and mushy poo, either. Royal Canin Maxi Large Breed or Large Breed Puppy might be worth trying for your two. Royal Canin is good, middle of the road food, not filled with a lot of extra ingredients that can be difficult for sensitive dogs to digest. I cannot feed my German Shepherd the super premium brands, and I've tried many! Except for Evo Red Meat, that one was easy for her to digest, I even tried Orijen Regional Red, thinking that it was similar to Evo Red...no way...didn't work for her. You shouldn't feed Evo to your puppies though, only adults, too much calcium. Royal Canin typically tends to be very palatable to a lot of dogs, especially the German Shepherd formula...even my cat tries to eat it!


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## FaerieAutumn

*Update*

Hey there! Yes, we did name him after the Dragon in the neverending story - it just seemed to suit him - HUGE but a big baby! The female's name is Faolan which is Gaelic for little wolf. 

They are doing really well now on the Orijen Large breed puppy. They finally LOVE it! He is still off and on with solid vs mushy but no more gas! LOL - never thought I would discuss so many bodily functions online! HAHA

I also purchased the deer antlers from the whole sale site. They seem to be fine - They chew them down and get some sharp bits but no splintering...

There is apparently a brand of chew that powders up so there is no splintering but I cannot find it. I will let you all know if I do.

Thanks again for all the help!


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## cast71

Good to hear that your pups are doing good. If the stools are soft, you might be overfeeding. Try giving a little less and see how that goes.


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