[hudsongold]

Hi Everyone,
We are thinking of switching food for our 6 month old golden retriever. He has been on Eagle Pack Holistic Select Chicken since we got him from the breeder. He doesn't have any major problems but he does get some gas, bad breath and soft poops from time to time. We are just not really thrilled with the food and after reading through the posts I'm not sure if the best. I don't think it awful though or I am wrong? Before I found this forum we were thinking of switching to Blue Buffalo puppy. It looked good and we could get it at petsmart but after reading all the posts here....I am not sure. I am starting to lean toward Innova or Acana but they are not in any stores near us. Should he be on a large breed puppy food? Right now he's getting I guess you would call it an adult food. Is that ok? I am so confused.
He was also diagnosed at 11 wks with luxating patella in both his back legs so I have been giving him a liquid glucosamine/chondroitin. So maybe he does not need the large breed? One more question, he is about 55lbs and gets 4 cups/day. Does that seem correct for his age? We need to keep him trim due to his leg problem-not that anyone wants their dog to be overweight )
Sorry for the long post.
Thanks!

 

[Unosmom]

I'm not a fan of Eagle Pack mainly because its so expensive with alright ingridients. You could try blue buffalo and see how your pup responds to it.
My neighbor has a 6 month old golden and he eats 2 cups of Innova puppy a day, though I'm not sure how much he weighs, probably 60 lbs. He seems to do well on this food. Its possible that your pup has a higher metabolism, so stick with reccomended ammount and adjust accordingly.

It doesent really matter if its a puppy or dog food.

You could try ordering from petfooddirect.com
When you sign on their site, at the top where it says " win free food", you can put your email and they often send 15-22% off coupon, I only use the 22% off when I buy there, so it covers the shipping.
Its a good choice for people who dont have some of the brands available like Orijen or Acana provincial.

Heres a 15% off code that expires today (Aug 2): PET3664

 

[hudsongold]

I would really like to try the Acana puppy but I can't seem to find it anywhere online. So I think we are going to go with the Innova puppy. I guess we can't really go wrong with either. Right?
Should we cut back on the amount of food we give him with these brands? Currently he gets 2cups 2x/day.

And thank you so much for the website and the coupon! When I signed up I only got a 10% coupon. ( I guess it's better then nothing. hehe

 

[Unosmom]

Oh, you mean the original Acana? or grain free? petfooddirect sells the grain free which is suitable for all life stages.

 

[hudsongold]

I know it's probably ok but the high protein in the grain-free lines scare me a little. All I remember is asking our breeder why she went with the Holistic Select Chicken and not the puppy food and she said the puppy food had too much protein. Maybe when we switch off the Innova puppy we'll give the grain-free a try.
Another question (sorry), would it make the transition a little easier for him if we added plain yogurt to his food?
Thanks again!

 

[Unosmom]

Its fine, Innova puppy is good choice, you can alternate with grain free once he gets to be a year old.
Yogurt will definitely help the digestion, make sure to use plain unsweetened kind, you can plop it on top of the food or feed it seperately. You probably want to give at least 2 tablespoons, but I always give more, like 1/4 of the 32 oz. dannon. So it lasts me 4 days.

 

[hudsongold]

Thanks for all your help!

 

[CorgiPaws]

Innova is a good pick as far as puppy food goes. That's what I had my Corgi on before going raw, and he did well on it.
Protien is nothing to be afraid of, especially meat-based protien. Wolf cubs don't wait until their a year old to eat a high-protien diet and there's no need for a domesticated puppy to either.

 

[Penny & Maggie's Mom]

Eagle Pack ( Wellness too) have been sold and it is no longer a family held co. They say there has been no change in formulation but several golden owners I know have had probs with loose stools. I put 2 of mine of the Fromm 4 star line...... a great all stages food. Fromm Family Foods - Gourmet Pet Food, Naturally Holistic My other two are the grainfree Acana food and it, too, is super. I can't find it locally so have been ordering from PawsChoice. Shipping for orders over $75. is free. That's a huge perk, since shipping for food can cost almost half the price of the food. Their costs are reasonable too.
While trying out foods, I suggest buying small bags, so if doesn't agree with them, you won't be out much. The bottom line ( no pun intended) is what your dog does well on.

BTW, may golden breeders recommend making the switch to adult food as early as 16 weeks.

Lastly, there is a great golden ret forum you might enjoy. TONS of info and friendship about all sorts of topics and beautiful pics. Members are breeders, trainers, those involved in dog sports, conformation, and just golden lovers (like me). www.goldenretrieverforum.com

 

[hudsongold]

Thanks for all the info. We just got the Innova today so we'll see how it goes.
I'm going to check out that goldens forum too. Thanks.