# Wellness Core for puppy



## hanksta13 (Dec 28, 2008)

I have a 6 month old boxer puppy who has been eating Wellness Just for Puppy. She has gotten bored with it but also has had gas and craps a lot. When I look at Core it basically has the same ingridients as other all life stage grainless foods. The main ingredients I would be concerned with are calcium and PH. levels.
My vet told me as long as it's under 2.5% calcium it would be ok. Im not overly concerned about the protein level as i don't believe it's extreme, especially when you compare it to the Just for Puppy formula and other grainless ALS formulas on the market. She has been on it(Core) for a week and I have seen a big improvement in her poops and gas. What do you guys and gals think? Is it just a marketing thing or do you think it's the wrong food to switch to for my 6 month old?


Crude Protein min. 34% 
Crude Fat min. 14% 
Crude Fiber max. 4% 
Moisture max. 10% 
Calcium max. 2% 
Phosphorus max. 1.4% 
Vitamin E min. 150 IU/kg 
Omega 6 Fatty Acids* min. 3.25% 
Omega 3 Fatty Acids* min. 0.70% 
Glucosamin Hydrochloride* min. 250 mg/kg 
Chondroitin Sulfate min. 200 mg/kg 
Total Micro-organisms* min. 80,000,000 CFU/lb 
Crude Protein min. 5 mg/kg


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## BoxerMommie (Jun 26, 2008)

Well the Core states that it is not for dogs under 12 months old. I wouldn't think they would exclude an entire 12 months of profits unless they had good reason to. Personally, I would not feed it, but that is just my personal opinion.

If you want a grainless food that's for puppies maybe try Orijen puppy instead.


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## hanksta13 (Dec 28, 2008)

Thanks for your reply. Orijen is not available where I live. I looked at the levels in orijen puppy and they aren't much different except for much higher protien. I was thinking if Wellness stated it was ok for all to eat Core it would cut into their puppy food sales and they sell a lot of puppy food. I don't know it's late. Anyway I could just be paranoid. I don't really trust a lot of these companys. Any other suggestions? Should I just go back to "Just for Puppy".
Natural Balance has to many carbs and not enough meat in my opinion.
TOTW and the big "E" preserve. I don't even wanna open that can of worms.


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## rannmiller (Jun 27, 2008)

I believe we cleared it up in another thread that if you're feeding a high quality food, it doesn't really matter if it says "puppy" on the bag anyway. What kind of puppy do you have? In my opinion, if your dog is doing better on a better quality food, it's hard to argue that the food is not more appropriate for your dog. 

But the Wellness Core website page does say in their Nutritional Adequacy Guarantee:

100% Complete and Balanced Nutrition for Your Adult Dog

Wellness CORE Original Formula Adult Dog Food is formulated to meet the nutritional levels established by the AAFCO Dog Food Nutrient Profiles for maintenance. For Dogs - Grain-Free, Protein-Focused Formulas

On the other hand, I know people who've continued to feed their 2 year old small breed dogs on Puppy Chow because they never knew to switch and other people who fed their min pin cat food because "that's all she'll eat." Compared to that, feeding Wellness Core to a puppy really doesn't sound like that bad of an idea after all, does it?


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## RawFedDogs (Jun 16, 2008)

I would feed the adult food to a 6 month old puppy. I haven't looked specifically at core but if you look at most brands and compare the ingredients list of the puppy and adult, they are almost identical except maybe 2 ingredients switched places on the list. To me, this is a very minor difference and convinces me that puppy food and senior foods are just marketing gimmicks to make you believe that particular food is formulated just for your dog.

Remember that a 6 month old dog is a teenager in human terms and teenage humans can eat the same food as adults. Why should dogs be different?


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## rannmiller (Jun 27, 2008)

Haha, I bet if the FDA came up with a bagged food and labeled it "Child" "Teenager" "Adult" and "Senior" the public would buy it hook, line and sinker. Or start questioning life stage foods. One of the two. But that would be funny.


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## ChattyCathy (Nov 22, 2008)

I'm not quite clear on this... but wouldn't the puppy need some other nutrients just until it gets a little bigger because they are in the development stage? Don't get me wrong I like Wellness Core as that's what I'm feeding my two adult dogs right now.


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## hanksta13 (Dec 28, 2008)

The Core has the the same levels and ingridients has other "All life Stage" grainless foods I see on the market. Also the levels aren't that much different than the Wellness Just for Puppy. I emailed Wellness and the replied with "Core is formulated for dogs 1 year and older. Use our just for puppy".
Here is a small comparisonaccording to website.

Just for Puppy Core
Guaranteed Analysis 
Crude Protein Not Less Than 28.0% Crude Protein min. 34%
Crude Fat Not Less Than 17.0% Crude Fat min. 14%
Crude Fiber Not More Than 5.0% Crude Fiber max. 4%
Moisture Not More Than 11.0% Moisture max. 10%
Calcium *Not Less Than *1.30% Calcium *max*. 2%
Phosphorus Not Less Than 1.00% Phosphorus max. 1.4%
Vitamin E Not Less Than 150 IU/kg Vitamin E min. 150 IU/kg 
Omega 6 Fatty Acids Not Less Than 3.0% Omega 6 Fatty Acids* min. 3.25%
Omega 3 Fatty Acids Not Less Than 1.0% Omega 3 Fatty Acids* min. 0.70%
Beta Carotene* Not Less Than 5 mg/kg Beta Carotene* Not Less Than 5mg
DHA* Not Less Than 0.13% 
Lycopene* Not Less Than 0.25 mg/kg 
Taurine* Not Less Than 0.09% 
Total Micro-organisms* Not Less Than 20m Total Micro org Not Les Than 80m


Now I am no nutritionist but that seems not to far off. Core also has salmon oil in it which would be a source of DHA.


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## hanksta13 (Dec 28, 2008)

Sorry, that didn't paste right. Split the analysis down the middle. JFP right, Core left.


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## LoveNewfies (Jun 18, 2008)

The main differences in "nutritional requirements" for puppies and adults are calcium, protein, fat and sodium. Puppies have a need for higher amounts of all in comparison to adults when it comes to feeding kibble. This is based upon the fact that most kibble companies go upon minimum requirements for adult maintenance.

I do believe that when feeding a raw diet the concerns in regards to balance between calcium and phosphorus are less of a concern, however, I have no concrete data to support that.

At six months old, your pup has likely gone through most of the major growth in respect to big growth spurts. It is also likely that your pup is at or near the development of his ability to regulate how much calcium his body absorbs. This, however, does vary from dog to dog and there's no real way for us to tell.

For most reputable dog food brands, the ingredient listing may be very similar, however, there is a difference in the nutritional content of puppy food in comparison to the adult foods. Here again, typically calcium, protein, fat and sodium levels.


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## hanksta13 (Dec 28, 2008)

So you think based on the analysis of both wellness foods, the Core would be ok for my Boxer puppy? I looks on paper like it would. Wellness guarentee's the max level of calcium is 2%max and 1.4%max phos. for the Core. that seems ok for a 6 month old puppy.


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## Boxer (Oct 27, 2008)

hanksta13 said:


> So you think based on the analysis of both wellness foods, the Core would be ok for my Boxer puppy? I looks on paper like it would. Wellness guarentee's the max level of calcium is 2%max and 1.4%max phos. for the Core. that seems ok for a 6 month old puppy.



Ask yourself this question, is 6mos on a lower protein food gonna kill you. The juries still out on the affects of higher protein on a growing puppy. Your boxer's(I have one as well) bones continue to grow up to 12-18mos, it's your dog and your free to do what you want with it. If your gonna do it then the CORE would be safer than the 42% protein you see in foods like EVO. Me personally I waited till Mia was 2yrs, 6mos on a dog that hopefully stays with you 14yrs isn't too much I'd say.


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## LoveNewfies (Jun 18, 2008)

Unless the analysis has changed, based upon the nutritional data I have on Wellness Core, here is what it looks like:

3600 KCals per KG
2% Calcium - 5.56 grams per 1,000 Kcals
Phosphorus - 3.89 grams per 1,000 Kcals
CAH ratio: 1.43:1
Protein 34%
Fat 14%

The calcium levels in the food are too high for a growing large breed pup. Personally, I would not take the chance until the pup has reached sexual maturity and has reached at least 80% of the expected adult height. 

The protein levels are not the concern in food, mineral levels, particularly calcium are potentially problematic, as well as overfeeding.


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## hanksta13 (Dec 28, 2008)

Thank you all for yor input and advice!


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## RawFedDogs (Jun 16, 2008)

LoveNewfies said:


> I do believe that when feeding a raw diet the concerns in regards to balance between calcium and phosphorus are less of a concern, however, I have no concrete data to support that.


Hehe, yes you do. You have millions of years of evolution where wolf mamas pay no attention to ca/ph ratio and raise perfectly healthy pups. :smile:


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## Belgian2008 (Jan 18, 2009)

The first four ingredients in this food are named meat products. Potatoes are the primary carbohydrate and starch source. Overall, this appears a quality product with a good amount of meat included.


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