weebird Posted January 28, 2019 Share Posted January 28, 2019 Hello everyone, can you provide your advise and experience on what is the best diet for a growing large breed puppy? We are planning for a borzoi puppy, and are looking into what options we have. We used to feed Orijen to our adult greyhound and he liked it, and I liked the ingredients, plus we supplemented with other food like cooked chicken, pork etc, also vegetables, eggs and yogurt etc. We are thinking to add more fresh food diet for our puppy, but probably not completely, as I think it would be challenging to make sure all the ratios are right. We want to make sure we raise a happy and healthy dog. We welcome any suggestions! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
greysmom Posted January 28, 2019 Share Posted January 28, 2019 If I had to pick I would go with Purina Pro Plan large breed puppy formula. I almost chose this with our current gh puppy, but went with what we used before - Blue Basics large breed puppy - and I didn't like it any better the second time around. Pro Plan works really well for adult ghs and the puppy should transition well to their grown up formulas. Quote Chris - Mom to: Felicity (DeLand), and Andi (Braska Pandora) siggy by Chris Harper, on Flickr Angels: Libby (Everlast), Dorie (Dog Gone Holly), Dude (TNJ VooDoo), Copper (Kid's Copper), Cash (GSI Payncash), Toni (LPH Cry Baby), Whiskey (KT's Phys Ed), Atom, Lilly Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cleptogrey Posted January 28, 2019 Share Posted January 28, 2019 large breed puppies need ....believe it or not....less protein than the high end foods offer is what you want. puppy food is not necessarily essential, my pups always ate adult food but i kept the protein level down. the vets realized that puppy chow was not essential over a decade ago. one wants to promote slow and healthy growth, rocket fuel is not essential for that. what is the breeder feeding the pups and what does she/he recommend? compare the fat/protein/caloric intake for the proplan focus foods and go from there. just looked, it's way too high! i remember having a good conversation w/ a great dane breeder, lower protein- 22-4% max is what they use. i believe felix was on something that was under 24%. at the time holistic select/eagle pac was a good food. i believe the eagle pac is still a pretty good choice. eagle pack is carried by chewy!!!! so, if you want to go that route, it's easy http://www.eaglepack.com/Index.aspx#.XE8nAi2ZOi4 hopefully Krissy will chime in, she has 2 greys that are still youngish and raised both as wee pups. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
weebird Posted January 28, 2019 Author Share Posted January 28, 2019 (edited) thank you both. good to know about the protein content. the breeder feeds mostly raw, but I'm not convinced that I want to go that route. not that I don't think it it's beneficial for the dog, but just am not sure that is a right fit for us, we also don't have house and so no huge freezer to store 2 weeks worth of raw diet in. I think I'm more comfortable with cooked meat etc and good quality kibble, maybe some freeze dried meat added as well...I don't know. I'm open to any suggestions. Edited January 28, 2019 by weebird Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cleptogrey Posted January 28, 2019 Share Posted January 28, 2019 good to know about the protein content. the breeder feeds mostly raw, but I'm not convinced that I want to go that route. not that I don't think it it's beneficial for the dog, but just am not sure that is a right fit for us, we also don't have house and so no huge freezer to store 2 weeks worth of raw diet in. wise choice. raw is costly, use your time taking the pup out and playing/teaching him/her. my friend's borzoi (the one in the city) eats nutro, all of her borzoi have. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sobesmom Posted January 30, 2019 Share Posted January 30, 2019 I have no advice for you in regard to what to feed, as I've never raised a puppy. I will tell you that as someone that didn't want to feed 100% raw personally because it just didn't fit into our lifestyle or household and I didn't want the responsibility of getting all the nutrients right, I do see the benefits of it, and gave my kibble-fed greys occasional raw along with their kibble. Sometimes once a week, sometimes once a month, it depended on what was on sale, and frankly, the weather. I mostly fed raw outdoors. If I bought a big pack of chicken thighs, I'd give the dogs each one, etc. Mainly their diet was kibble, but the occasional raw never upset their stomachs or routine, they enjoyed it, and it was good for them. If I bought bone-in chicken breast and I de-boned them for what I was making, the dogs got the bones and skin. Later in life they got cooked meat/rice/veggies along with kibble to supplement for health issues. No trouble ever with mixing kibble, occasional raw, occasional cooked. Some dogs definitely DO have issues with mixing up their food, but we got lucky. If you can do variety - I say go for it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
weebird Posted January 30, 2019 Author Share Posted January 30, 2019 wise choice. raw is costly, use your time taking the pup out and playing/teaching him/her. my friend's borzoi (the one in the city) eats nutro, all of her borzoi have. Thank you. It just doesn't fit our lifestyle, and I don't want to feel guilty about it. We'd rather go on trips and do fun things with our pooch Thank you, sobesmom, we also prefer variety, I myself would also not want to eat the same thing every day, and our grey liked change as well and enjoyed all kinds of food. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sobesmom Posted February 1, 2019 Share Posted February 1, 2019 Thank you. It just doesn't fit our lifestyle, and I don't want to feel guilty about it. We'd rather go on trips and do fun things with our pooch Thank you, sobesmom, we also prefer variety, I myself would also not want to eat the same thing every day, and our grey liked change as well and enjoyed all kinds of food. And let's not forget the benefits of raw eggs (cracked on top of kibble), and the occasional Jack Mack or sardines, or tuna - or just the "juice" out of the tuna when you drain it! I couldn't run my can opener without my Diana climbing up my leg waiting for the "juice" from the tuna can to go into her bowl LOL! Beloved by all dogs! (And great protein and wonderful for skin and coat). I've never raised a puppy myself, but it seems like a REALLY good idea to me to introduce her to multiple food additives, as supplements to her "normal" diet, just to get her gut acclimated to be able to enjoy the variety you're willing to offer. I have friends with dogs they raised from puppies, that never ate anything other than kibble. They were perfectly healthy. But, if someone dropped food on the floor, or tried to offer the dog a bite of hamburger at a cook-out, they'd freak out. NO! She can't eat "people-food" ! She'll be sick for days. Yes, there are dogs with food issues, but most dogs, IMHO, should be able to eat a maintenance diet, and also eat appropriate add-ins. Variety is the spice of life. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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