When we got our puppy at 9 weeks, we started him on Royal Canin GSD puppy food (fell for the gimmick). Our vet really approved of this food, but she carries it at our office so I understand where her bread is buttered.
A couple weeks ago as our second bag of RC ran out, we decided to switch to Now! Fresh lrge breed puppy by petcurean. Here's the ingredients:
De-boned turkey, whole dried egg, potatoes, peas, potato flour, natural flavour, tapioca, flaxseed, canola oil (preserved with mixed tocopherols), apples, de-boned salmon, de-boned duck, sweet potatoes, calcium carbonate, dicalcium phosphate, coconut oil (preserved with mixed tocopherols), pea fibre, alfalfa, carrots, pumpkin, bananas, blueberries, cranberries, blackberries, papayas, lentil beans, broccoli, spinach, squash, pomegranate, dried chicory root, dried kelp, sodium chloride, potassium chloride, algae extract, vitamins (vitamin A supplement, vitamin D3 supplement, vitamin E supplement, inositol, niacin, L-ascorbyl-2-polyphosphate (a source of vitamin C), d-calcium pantothenate, thiamine mononitrate, beta-carotene, riboflavin, pyridoxine hydrochloride, folic acid, biotin, vitamin B12 supplement), minerals (zinc methionine complex, zinc proteinate, iron proteinate, copper proteinate, zinc oxide, manganese proteinate, copper sulphate, ferrous sulphate, calcium iodate, manganous oxide, selenium yeast), DL-methionine, L-lysine, dried Lactobacillus acidophilus fermentation product, dried Enterococcus faecium fermentation product, dried Aspergillus niger fermentation product, dried Aspergillus oryzae fermentation product, yeast extract, New Zealand green mussels, taurine, yucca schidigera extract, marigold, L-carnitine, dried rosemary, green tea extract, peppermint, parsley, rosehips, zedoary, dandelion, chamomile, ginger, tumeric, fennel, juniper berries, licorice, cardamom, cloves.
Since we made the switch, I've noticed that our pup (now almost 5mo) has been pooping multiple times a day, 4 to 6 times rather than the 2 to 3 times a day on RC.
In the morning, he has one large firm poop, then a minute later has a large very soft poop (not watery diarrhea, but you can't pick it up off the ground fully if that makes sense). Then sometimes within that same first morning walk he'll poop 1 or even two more times, small soft, and then a few more soft poops during the day, with one larger one at some point. He always had the occasional soft stool but not like this. Oh and it stinks - like bad.
At this point, I don't see how he's even absorbing any of the food we're giving him, but I haven't noticed a weight loss, though he's thin (can feel all ribs, spine, and hips, with an indentation behind the last rib), and his coat is still shiny. I don't think we're overfeeding because we're on the lower end of the feeding guidelines, and he's a bit finicky.
I'm calling the vet about maybe checking for worms today, but since this really started when we switched foods, I think it's related to that. We did switch him over too quickly, but it's been a couple weeks, and I don't want to hurt his growth. The vet will probably recommend going back to RC (again, sponsored), but I was thinking about switching him to Farmina Ancient Grains Puppy.
Ingredients:
Deboned chicken, dehydrated chicken (source of glucosamine & chondroitin sulfate), potato, chicken fat (preserved with mixed tocopherols), dehydrated egg product, herring (source of glucosamine & chondroitin sulfate), dehydrated herring (source of glucosamine & chondroitin sulfate), herring & salmon oil blend (preserved with mixed tocopherols), fiber vegetable of peas, dried carrots, sun-cured alfalfa meal, chicory root extract, fructooligosaccharide, yeast extract (source of mannan-oligosaccharides), dehydrated pomegranate, dehydrated apple, dehydrated spinach, psyllium seed husk, dehydrated blackcurrant berry, dehydrated sweet orange, dehydrated blueberry, salt, brewers dried yeast, turmeric, vitamin A supplement, vitamin D3 supplement, vitamin E supplement, ascorbic acid, niacin, calcium pantothenate, riboflavin, pyridoxine hydrochloride, thiamine mononitrate, biotin, folic acid, vitamin B12 supplement, choline chloride, beta-carotene, zinc proteinate, manganese proteinate, iron proteinate, copper proteinate, selenium yeast, DL-methionine, taurine, L-carnitine, aloe vera gel concentrate, green tea extract, rosemary extract.
Does anyone have any input on this - does it sound like just the food? He's not lethargic (like the opposite), and his health seems ok. Does the farmina food seem like a good switch? I think it's the best option available to us - no Orijen or TOTW unfortunately, and RAW is cost prohibitive here. Is this going to hurt his health/growth in the long run?
A couple weeks ago as our second bag of RC ran out, we decided to switch to Now! Fresh lrge breed puppy by petcurean. Here's the ingredients:
De-boned turkey, whole dried egg, potatoes, peas, potato flour, natural flavour, tapioca, flaxseed, canola oil (preserved with mixed tocopherols), apples, de-boned salmon, de-boned duck, sweet potatoes, calcium carbonate, dicalcium phosphate, coconut oil (preserved with mixed tocopherols), pea fibre, alfalfa, carrots, pumpkin, bananas, blueberries, cranberries, blackberries, papayas, lentil beans, broccoli, spinach, squash, pomegranate, dried chicory root, dried kelp, sodium chloride, potassium chloride, algae extract, vitamins (vitamin A supplement, vitamin D3 supplement, vitamin E supplement, inositol, niacin, L-ascorbyl-2-polyphosphate (a source of vitamin C), d-calcium pantothenate, thiamine mononitrate, beta-carotene, riboflavin, pyridoxine hydrochloride, folic acid, biotin, vitamin B12 supplement), minerals (zinc methionine complex, zinc proteinate, iron proteinate, copper proteinate, zinc oxide, manganese proteinate, copper sulphate, ferrous sulphate, calcium iodate, manganous oxide, selenium yeast), DL-methionine, L-lysine, dried Lactobacillus acidophilus fermentation product, dried Enterococcus faecium fermentation product, dried Aspergillus niger fermentation product, dried Aspergillus oryzae fermentation product, yeast extract, New Zealand green mussels, taurine, yucca schidigera extract, marigold, L-carnitine, dried rosemary, green tea extract, peppermint, parsley, rosehips, zedoary, dandelion, chamomile, ginger, tumeric, fennel, juniper berries, licorice, cardamom, cloves.
Since we made the switch, I've noticed that our pup (now almost 5mo) has been pooping multiple times a day, 4 to 6 times rather than the 2 to 3 times a day on RC.
In the morning, he has one large firm poop, then a minute later has a large very soft poop (not watery diarrhea, but you can't pick it up off the ground fully if that makes sense). Then sometimes within that same first morning walk he'll poop 1 or even two more times, small soft, and then a few more soft poops during the day, with one larger one at some point. He always had the occasional soft stool but not like this. Oh and it stinks - like bad.
At this point, I don't see how he's even absorbing any of the food we're giving him, but I haven't noticed a weight loss, though he's thin (can feel all ribs, spine, and hips, with an indentation behind the last rib), and his coat is still shiny. I don't think we're overfeeding because we're on the lower end of the feeding guidelines, and he's a bit finicky.
I'm calling the vet about maybe checking for worms today, but since this really started when we switched foods, I think it's related to that. We did switch him over too quickly, but it's been a couple weeks, and I don't want to hurt his growth. The vet will probably recommend going back to RC (again, sponsored), but I was thinking about switching him to Farmina Ancient Grains Puppy.
Ingredients:
Deboned chicken, dehydrated chicken (source of glucosamine & chondroitin sulfate), potato, chicken fat (preserved with mixed tocopherols), dehydrated egg product, herring (source of glucosamine & chondroitin sulfate), dehydrated herring (source of glucosamine & chondroitin sulfate), herring & salmon oil blend (preserved with mixed tocopherols), fiber vegetable of peas, dried carrots, sun-cured alfalfa meal, chicory root extract, fructooligosaccharide, yeast extract (source of mannan-oligosaccharides), dehydrated pomegranate, dehydrated apple, dehydrated spinach, psyllium seed husk, dehydrated blackcurrant berry, dehydrated sweet orange, dehydrated blueberry, salt, brewers dried yeast, turmeric, vitamin A supplement, vitamin D3 supplement, vitamin E supplement, ascorbic acid, niacin, calcium pantothenate, riboflavin, pyridoxine hydrochloride, thiamine mononitrate, biotin, folic acid, vitamin B12 supplement, choline chloride, beta-carotene, zinc proteinate, manganese proteinate, iron proteinate, copper proteinate, selenium yeast, DL-methionine, taurine, L-carnitine, aloe vera gel concentrate, green tea extract, rosemary extract.
Does anyone have any input on this - does it sound like just the food? He's not lethargic (like the opposite), and his health seems ok. Does the farmina food seem like a good switch? I think it's the best option available to us - no Orijen or TOTW unfortunately, and RAW is cost prohibitive here. Is this going to hurt his health/growth in the long run?