# large breed dog food vs. regular food?



## Kimi's dad (Apr 3, 2007)

Just wondering what kind of dog food is best? Large breed formula or normal stuff. I feed Kimi very good quality food, which is probably the most important factor. The label on the brand of food we use (Blue Buffalo) seems to cover Kimi's size (85-pounds) with both normal & large breed food. The vet we went to when we 1st brought Kimi home at 7-weeks gave us a small bag of large breed puppy food as a starter kit so that's we've always used. Hopefully this hasn't been harmful if goldens aren't considered large breed? I'm going to start switching him to adult dog food now & just wanted to know what other people feed their goldens?


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## sharlin (Feb 26, 2007)

You'll get a lot of votes for Canidae (seems to be the majority here), Natural Balance (NorCal pack eats this) and all sorts of others. The better the food (no fillers) the less you have to give them and helps keep them trim and healthy.


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## Kimi's dad (Apr 3, 2007)

sharlin said:


> You'll get a lot of votes for Canidae (seems to be the majority here), Natural Balance (NorCal pack eats this) and all sorts of others. The better the food (no fillers) the less you have to give them and helps keep them trim and healthy.


There is a store near us that sells Canidae. Pretty good stuff? Expensive (not that I would avoid expensive stuff for our golden boy)?


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## Pointgold (Jun 6, 2007)

I switch puppies from Puppy Formula to adult between 4-6 months across the board. Puppy food is an "accelerated" growth food, and large breeds really need to grow at a slower, more natural rate . I think of it as this - in the wild, dogs don't have their choice of puppy, adult, weight management, senior, etc. It's mother's milk until weaning (generally by around 4 months) and after that, it's all pretty much the same, no matter the age. Kimi is a very big dog at 80 pounds, and I would put him on an adult food to help assure proper growth rate and avoid bone growth problems such as pano, hip and elbow dysplasia, etc. And, given his size, I would try a large breed formula. 
As for the brand, if he's done well on the product you've been feeding, try just switching to the adult formula of that brand and see how he does. I use ProPlan, which is readily found, and also Eukanuba. Both have large breed formulas available. I love the coats, muscle tone, and overall general well-being that my dogs enjoy since I've been feeding these foods - almost 20 years.


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## Tahnee GR (Aug 26, 2006)

I wean my litters right onto Canidae and have had no real issues with it. I like the formula-the only grain is rice-and my dogs seem to well on it. My two young ones are from the same dam, and she seems to throw very active, muscular puppies who require much more food than my other two. My adult girls generally get around 2 cups of Canidae per day. They are both on the biggish side, around 65 pounds or so. The two younger get between 5-6 cups of Canidae per day. My boy is 2 and the baby is 9 months. They are solid muscle and run and play and wrestle for literally hours every day.

In the winter I will sometimes add EVO to the food mix for the Goldens, but not the Pugs.

The trick is to find a food that your dog thrives on, and to allow enough time to evaluate how dog does on it-generally around 6 weeks or so. Hot spots, allergies, dirty ears, etc. are all signs to me that a change in food may be in order.

I agree with PointGold-if Kimi is doing well on the food you have been feeding, you like it, and it is easily found, just switch him to the adult version. I love Canidae but some dogs just do not do as well on it as others, and it can be too rich and cause diarrhea for some as well.


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## DelmarvaGold (Mar 7, 2006)

I agree with Linda. I wean puppies right onto Canidae. I by-pass puppy food altogether. My goldens under 18 months old all eat Canidae. My very active performance dogs (over 18 months) eat EVO and my old inactive guys eat EVO Reduced fat (52 protein / 18 fat). I also give Vit C, Salmon oil, Glyco-Flex and Nupro to everyone....puppies included.

If Blue Buffalo works...stick with it...as mentioned by others switch to the adult version


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