# nutri source large breed puppy food



## Goldilocks (Jun 3, 2007)

If the Innova food is the "Evo" brand (i.e., high protein, high fat) DO NOT feed it to your puppy. The high protein foods are not suitable for large breed dogs until they are full grown adults. However, Innova and Innova Evo is very good food. The regular Innova may be fine for your puppy but I would check with your vet first. 

As for the NutriSource food, it sounds like this may be the store brand and the sales people are being pushed to sell it. I took a look at the ingredients and did not like the "corn gluten meal, "beet pulp", "whole grain ground wheat". This food is very high on cheap grains and there are better foods out there for your puppy.

Are you able to get Wellness, Canidae or Fromm at your pet store?


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## missmarstar (Jul 22, 2007)

it looks ok in that the first 2 ingredients are meat sources... BUT it also contains brewers rice, which is mainly a low quality filler, and also wheat and corn which are not only low cost/quality fillers but also many dogs are highly allergic to them. so i would not recommend buying that particular food

i feed mine innova large breed puppy food... he seems to be doing great on it, and i have already noticed a huge difference in the softness of his coat and his skin looks healthy. since you have the bag of large breed adult food there, you can take a look at the ingredients they are basically the same as in the LBP formula. its a very good food in my opinion. hope that helps at all!


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## Elway&Prince (Sep 6, 2007)

Thanks! It's not the evo formula they sold me. They tried to get me to buy Evo and I said no my puppy can not have the high protein "oh it's ok for him" they tell me! I feed the regular innova adult now (in the green bag) but they suggested trying the large breed adult formula and so I got that and went on the Innova website and they said no it's not suitable for the large breed puppies.

I was originally looking at the Wellness oceanfish formula and the store said they heard mixed reviews on it. I can't get Fromm and my two were on Canidae and then started getting loose stools and stopped liking it so much.

I'm definetely taking the Innova back tomorrow and I'm going to another store, with not so pushy employees, and getting a different brand.

I'm more trying to put some weight on my two because they are extremely thin (even with increased food at feedings) but I only want to feed one type of food if I can I don't want to be using two different formulas. 

I was extremely aggrivated at this store that I went to today they just wouldn't let me alone to compare foods myself they kept trying to "help" even after I told them I don't need help and prefer to look at the ingredients and make my own decisions! Also they said they had pinnacle and timberwolf organics and I get there and they didn't have anything from those two brands!


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## Goldilocks (Jun 3, 2007)

Good idea to change pet food stores and it's a good thing you are educated on pet nutrition and know better than to listen to what they tell you. 

I hope you have good luck tomorrow finding a food that is suitable for your dogs.


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## missmarstar (Jul 22, 2007)

Crazydog said:


> I feed the regular innova adult now (in the green bag) but they suggested trying the large breed adult formula and so I got that and went on the Innova website and they said no it's not suitable for the large breed puppies.


 
if you arent dissatisfied with innova food (i dont remember if that was the problem or you just wanted to get them on a puppy food rather than adult food) try to innova large breed puppy formula... it (obviously) is appropriate for puppies and unlike the EVO should be fine for them. 

maybe take back the large breed adult and see if they have the LBP formula..... then find a new pet store to buy your food at


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## Elway&Prince (Sep 6, 2007)

Well I'm sort of not happy with the Innova. Their poop isn't looking the greatest on it, hasn't been for awhile. They do have the LBP formula but I'm thinking of taking the large breed adult food back and going to a different store a little farther away to get my new food from. 

Although I just checked and there is a store that sells fromm and Orijen (another food I've been anxious to try) about 30 minutes away I may try to convince my husband to make the drive out there tomorrow.


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## Goldilocks (Jun 3, 2007)

I feed my adult dog Orijen. However, even though Orijen has a large breed puppy food it is still 42% protein. This whole high protein food is still sort of new and if I had a puppy I don't think I would feed the high protein food, just incase. Maybe the research isn't there quite yet.

I know of a breeder in my area who puts in her puppy contract that the pups must be fed Fromm Salmon al la Veg for 6 months or else the health guarantee is void.


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## Swampcollie (Sep 6, 2007)

We tried NutriSource with the training dogs a four years ago. It was an "adequate" food but but the long term results didn't really impress us. We tried producing one litter on NutriSource and quickly found it could not keep up with the demands placed on a lactating bitch by her litter. 

NutriSource is a prime example demonstrating that ingredient panels don't tell you enough about the nutritional quality of a food. The lable looks pretty good to most of the "Ingredient Panel Watchers", but the actual results produced with the product are disappointing.


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## Elway&Prince (Sep 6, 2007)

Thanks swampcollie! Gosh I just don't know what to feed now! I think I'm going to try Wellness. I have definetely ruled out Canidae (all formulas, and Innova). Eagle Pack is ok but they don't have a definete all life stages food, if I remember. They told me the holistic chicken meal and rice could be fed to large breed puppies but on the bag is specifically says not to and won't give feeding suggestions.

So probably Wellness. We've also tried Merricks for awhile but it was so expensive and it wasn't all that great for the price we were paying for it either. We tried Solid Gold which made the dogs sick. I like Timberwolf Organics but it's a pretty long trip to get some.


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## Goldilocks (Jun 3, 2007)

Wellness is a very good food. Wise choice. Just a tip....if you go to their website and sign up for their email newsletter, they will send you a coupon for dog food every month. It's usually at the bottom of the email. This past August it was $3 off per bag of CORE, the month before I believe it was $5 off any type of dry Wellness. You could stock up for a couple months because you could print as many coupons as you want. My brother feeds his golden the lamb and rice Wellness and he does well on it. Great full coat and very healthy.


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## Elway&Prince (Sep 6, 2007)

Cool, I'll have to do that now. I LOVE getting coupons/free samples! I know if you go to bench and field's website and inquire about their holistic line of dog food they'll send you a free 6 lb bag of it (3 lb bag for cats) as a sample free of charge.


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## Swampcollie (Sep 6, 2007)

Crazydog,
There are more good foods out there than you can shake a stick at. 
What are you looking for in a food in terms of results and price? Does your dog or puppy have any health concerns that need special consideration when looking for a food? Thing like, known allergies, structure issues, coat issues, etc. that require you to "Feed Around" a problem?


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## Elway&Prince (Sep 6, 2007)

Well our price range we want to stay around $50 a bag (less would be swell but we spent $50 on the 33 lb bags of Innova).

They don't really have many health concerns, our lab has a bad hip that bothers her from time to time if she really gets out running in the field and also she never did well on an all lamb and rice formula diet (we had her on nutro natural choice lamb and rice). She also can't eat just plain cottage cheese (yogurt and ricotta are fine for her though).

our vet wants to see us put 5 lbs or so on her though because she is really skinny even though she's fed a lot more than the suggested amount. I was thinking of adding some of the Nature's Variety patties to her food.

So far with her she has had Eagle Pack, Canidae (all the formulas but we had her on the chicken meal and rice the longest and she just decided recently she hates canidae and it makes her sick), she's on Innova now but she was on Evo before (which also did not agree with her). She also tried Merricks but it did not agree with my two and I wasn't too impressed with it for the price it costed us. She also ate the nutro natural choice for awhile but always had runny poop on it.

We also tried a raw diet for her too but that was more hassle than it was worth. She'd do great on it for a couple months and then she'd have problems.


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## Swampcollie (Sep 6, 2007)

If you have a kibble that she'll eat and you're happy with stay with it.
For a supplement, run to the grocery store and pick up a few packs of chicken thighs from the meat case. (If they're on sale pick up a few extras.) 
Throw about four thighs in a pot, add water and simmer till cooked. Remove the bones and return the meat, skin and cartilege to the pot. Add 1/2 to 3/4 cup (uncooked) of white rice, add more water if needed, bring to boil and cook until rice is done and liquid has reduced. Let cool before serving to the dogs. 

Add about one cup per day to each of the dogs normal rations of kibble three or four times a week. (If you feed twice a day divide the portion equally between the meals.) The Kibble will help to balance the diet, and the extra chicken and rice will bump the fat and calories, and keep the stools firmed up. You should be able to put a couple extra pounds per week on the dogs. (I've never seen a dog turn his/her nose up at this either.)


If you run out of things for lunch, you can always toss a scoop in a bowl and zap it in the microwave.


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## ravenchow (Apr 3, 2007)

I've been using www.dogfoodanalysis.com as my resource. I looked at 4 stars & above & then narrowed it down based on their comments. 

I hate pushy store people. I stormed out of a small pet food business last week. I don't know why a small business owner would act that way considering they have so much at stake--not being supported by a big chain & all.

Jody


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## Tahnee GR (Aug 26, 2006)

Well, I'm am Ingredient Panel Watcher, and I don't like the ingredient panel on this one at all. I won't buy foods with wheat and corn in them, let alone gluten. It isn't the worst food I have seen but it is far from what I would consider a good one.

Part of your problem with soft stools might be that you are feeding too much to your dogs in an attempt to get them to gain weight. Every time my dogs get soft stools on the Canidae (which isn't that often), I revisit what I am feeding and every time I find that something has changed-activity level, weather, etc.-and I need to dial down the amount of food I am feeding.

Also, have you had them checked recently for parasites? Worms, coccidia, giardia? Parasites will cause both problems-underweight and loose stools.

When all else fails, I use Tylan if the dogs have loose stools. If I see an immediate response to the good within 24 hours, I continue the Tylan. If not, then something else (usually overfeeding with me, due to seasonal changes) is causing the problem and I have to continue looking. With my Pug, I have twice spent over $500 in testing and various prescriptions from the vets to no avail, only to find the Tylan worked within 24 hours and took care of the problem for over a year. Tylan works on an overgrowth of clostridium, among other things. Now, when she has her "cappucino poops", she goes on the Tylan and we have immediate relief. 

On the other hand, Tylan did nothing for my 9 month old, but cutting back her food did  She is not in a growth phase now and does not have the same caloric needs that she had a few weeks ago.


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## DelmarvaGold (Mar 7, 2006)

Tahnee GR said:


> Well, I'm am Ingredient Panel Watcher, and I don't like the ingredient panel on this one at all. I won't buy foods with wheat and corn in them, let alone gluten. It isn't the worst food I have seen but it is far from what I would consider a good one.
> 
> Part of your problem with soft stools might be that you are feeding too much to your dogs in an attempt to get them to gain weight. Every time my dogs get soft stools on the Canidae (which isn't that often), I revisit what I am feeding and every time I find that something has changed-activity level, weather, etc.-and I need to dial down the amount of food I am feeding.
> 
> ...


I too am an Ingredient Panel Watcher........Great advice Linda!


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## Elway&Prince (Sep 6, 2007)

Tahnee GR said:


> Well, I'm am Ingredient Panel Watcher, and I don't like the ingredient panel on this one at all. I won't buy foods with wheat and corn in them, let alone gluten. It isn't the worst food I have seen but it is far from what I would consider a good one.


I didn't buy it thankful I went back to Eagle Pack but I'm putting them on the large breed puppy formula. I was considering the Nature's Logic food but I asked a worker and he said he wouldn't suggest it for my situation.



> Part of your problem with soft stools might be that you are feeding too much to your dogs in an attempt to get them to gain weight. Every time my dogs get soft stools on the Canidae (which isn't that often), I revisit what I am feeding and every time I find that something has changed-activity level, weather, etc.-and I need to dial down the amount of food I am feeding.


We thought that maybe we were feeding too much but even if we lower it it doesn't seem to help. It's not runny really just not as firm as they were at the start of the bag.



> Also, have you had them checked recently for parasites? Worms, coccidia, giardia? Parasites will cause both problems-underweight and loose stools.


Yeah they have both been to the vet recently for a full exam and are perfectly healthy.



> When all else fails, I use Tylan if the dogs have loose stools. If I see an immediate response to the good within 24 hours, I continue the Tylan. If not, then something else (usually overfeeding with me, due to seasonal changes) is causing the problem and I have to continue looking. With my Pug, I have twice spent over $500 in testing and various prescriptions from the vets to no avail, only to find the Tylan worked within 24 hours and took care of the problem for over a year. Tylan works on an overgrowth of clostridium, among other things. Now, when she has her "cappucino poops", she goes on the Tylan and we have immediate relief.


Never heard of that I usually use regular immodium and that seems to help them, my vet reccomended it (well the vet tech). 



> On the other hand, Tylan did nothing for my 9 month old, but cutting back her food did  She is not in a growth phase now and does not have the same caloric needs that she had a few weeks ago.


I'm hoping that the Eagle Pack will work a little better for them we had good luck in the past on it and then switched off for the Innova but hopefully this will help.


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## norabrown (Jul 20, 2007)

Goldilocks said:


> As for the NutriSource food, it sounds like this may be the store brand and the sales people are being pushed to sell it. I took a look at the ingredients and did not like the "corn gluten meal, "beet pulp", "whole grain ground wheat". This food is very high on cheap grains and there are better foods out there for your puppy.
> 
> Are you able to get Wellness, Canidae or Fromm at your pet store?


NutriSource is not a store brand. It is one of the "better" foods out there for dogs. I don't know about the large breed puppy, but the Adult formula has chicken, chicken meal, brown rice,k brewers rice, barley, oatmeal listed as their first ingredients.

26% protein, 16% fat, 4% fiber, 10% moisture

The Innove Evo lists this..

42% protein (way too high for puppy), 22% fat, 2.5% fiber, 10% moisture


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