# Hills Science diet large breed for pups



## Rex (Oct 11, 2010)

Hello everyone i am just wondering am i choosing the right dry dog food for my new pup. he is a 10 week old black lab. i have been feeding him Hills science diet health development recommended by the vet. i have been doing my research on other products and noticed that the science diet is high in filler but i have seen a lot of good reviews on it. i just want some opinions and maybe another brand of dog food for my pup thanks a lot look foward to reading ur comments


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## kevin bradley (Aug 9, 2009)

Rex,

I can virtually assure you that 99.9% on this forum are going to tell you that Science Diet is a poor quality food. To make it even worse, it costs a ton!

I'm pressed for time at the moment but I would suggest doing some research on Dog food, check out the Dog Food Project website, do some searches on this forum, etc... I even like Dogfoodanalysis.com as a nice starting point(there are some issues w/ this type of rating system but its a nice starting point nonetheless). Dogfoodadvisor.com is also ok to begin with. I think its outstanding that you are digging into this. Better now than later. 

You will see foods like Orijen, Acana, Taste of the Wild, Evo...all thrown around. All good options.


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## Unosmom (May 3, 2009)

I dont think you'll find a single person on here who would approve SD, its overpriced junk food. The only reason vets recommend it is because they get kickbacks from Hill's and the vet courses in school as well as books are sponsored/provided by Hills. 

Theres a lot of quality foods on the market, Orijen is very high rated, or acana provincial. 
Use this as a guide:
Hill’s Science Diet Puppy Dry Dog Food | Review and Rating

Five Star Dog Foods


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## kevin bradley (Aug 9, 2009)

Does a Black Lab constitute "large breed?" I know GIANT breeds have some real feed specific concerns but I wouldn't consider a Black Lab a GIANT breed. Bigger maybe. :smile:


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## Serendipity (Aug 13, 2010)

Science Diet is just a bag of cheap fillers that dogs have no use for. Try Orijen Large Puppy.


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## buddy97 (Mar 29, 2010)

going grain free will be tempting for you, but most of those arent very suitable for large breed pups (due to Ca levels, not protein levels)....unless you want to use orijen or a couple of the acana grainless foods.

Blue Buffalo Large Breed pup
Wellness Super 5 Large breed pup
Solid Gold Wolf Cub

those are some popular choices among alot of larger dog owners. 

there are some adult foods that would work as well, as long as the maximum Ca levels are around 1.7% or less.


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## Mia (Oct 4, 2010)

Serendipity said:


> Science Diet is just a bag of cheap fillers that dogs have no use for. Try Orijen Large Puppy.


Tried it few a few weeks, hated it. I wouldn't recommend it to anyone. I actually took the bag back.


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## Mia (Oct 4, 2010)

buddy97 said:


> going grain free will be tempting for you, but most of those arent very suitable for large breed pups (due to Ca levels, not protein levels)....unless you want to use orijen or a couple of the acana grainless foods.
> 
> Blue Buffalo Large Breed pup
> Wellness Super 5 Large breed pup
> ...


Blue - they just got a recall so I would be very leery about them still. Really sucks I was hoping they would be good.


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## k9capture_16 (Aug 23, 2010)

Mine has sever allergies. It got to the point where it was either I try Science Diet Hypoallergenic or Raw. I went with raw and its WAY cheaper. I do not like Science Diet. My previous dog came to me on that from the breeder and I switched him as soon as I got him. I would never recommend anyone feed that...garbage. My father just bought a dog and the vet convinced him that food was the best so he has his dog on that. Gross. If you want a good kibble..people here have already made the suggestions I would make.


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## Rex (Oct 11, 2010)

thank you all. i will probably try out the wellness brand i hear a lot of good things about that one i really appreciate all the info u gave to me. i was kinda thinking the same thing, when i actually sat down and browsed the ingrent for SD i was shocked (-: thanks all. 

i was also wondering, how often should i feed my dog (rex) wet food mixed in with the dry food. once a week, once a month or once every so often? becuase i hear that it can cause diahrea but it also contains a lot of Nutrients that are extremely good for the dog.


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## Unosmom (May 3, 2009)

Its up to you, canned food shouldnt cause issues, I feed it every day with dry, just couple tbsp's. It helps to add variety and extra moisture is always better for dogs digestion.


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## Guest (Oct 12, 2010)

Rex said:


> Hello everyone i am just wondering am i choosing the right dry dog food for my new pup. he is a 10 week old black lab. i have been feeding him Hills science diet health development recommended by the vet. i have been doing my research on other products and noticed that the science diet is high in filler but i have seen a lot of good reviews on it. i just want some opinions and maybe another brand of dog food for my pup thanks a lot look foward to reading ur comments


Hi, Rex, and welcome. I certainly give you a lot of credit for wanting to give your puppy a better quality food than what was recommended by your vet. Too many people unfortunately listen to their vet and don't ask questions or do any research, and their dogs are eating awful food. So I commend you for wanting to give your puppy the best diet you possibly can. Good for you!


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## John Rambo (Sep 27, 2010)

Go with Solid Gold Wolf Cub...thats what i reared Brutus (my GS) on..and he turned out to be a black [email protected] When he grows up u can rotate this expensive kibble with Chicken Soup for the Dog Lovers Soul, and get excellent coats/results.


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## wags (Jan 31, 2009)

Gee Science diet..... been there~ done that~ learned not to ever go there again!
I know the vets entice you with their samples and you think yes this is great my vet~ who has no knowledge of what to feed dogs~ but has all the knowledge on how to keep them healthy but not food wise healthy LOL! My vet told me Beneful he thought was good UGHHHHH! Thank goodness he knows everything else about dogs though!!!!!!!!!! We have all been there at one point in our lives. Its a live and learn situation. Anyone who says they haven't been down this path is not telling the truth! But we learn and always learn more and more which is a good thing!
I like orijen puppy its so good for them. there are alot of quality brands. Orijen is the top one! Go to~Dog Food Analysis - Reviews of kibble look under reviews this is juts one nice review sight to visit and learn what are better foods.
another sight~ Look at the hills science diet review!
Hill’s Science Diet Puppy Dry Dog Food | Review and Rating
this is the orijen sight ~
Puppy Large

and not this is not the only puppy food out there! alot of good suggestions at least I think are on here!


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## Serendipity (Aug 13, 2010)

Rye&Ted said:


> Tried it few a few weeks, hated it. I wouldn't recommend it to anyone. I actually took the bag back.


No food is suitable for every dog, but I'd definitely rank that as the #1 choice, followed by Horizon Legacy and some others.


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## SamWu1 (Oct 15, 2010)

I have my preferences but any reputable grain free product will suffice. I prefer Great Life grain and potato free and of course the Champion line, Orijen and Acana.


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