Looking for a good puppy food

[Beerswimmer]

I haven't had a puppy in 15 years, times have sure changed. I'm looking at getting a somewhat affordable(Orijen is too much for even ME to eat!) dry kibble for my new puppy and have read reviews, looked at ingredients but I still don't know. What would you Doberman owners suggest?

 

[NikiL02]

Here's where I went to find a good dog food. Best Dog Foods I use Wellness Complete Health Large Breed Puppy. I use Wellness core for my cat and he does so well on it that I decided to stick with the brand. But it's by no means the only brand. I found a spreadsheet once that labeled all the major food brands by $$/star rating on dog food advisor. Basically the bang for your buck.

 

[Oh Little Oji]

Welcome! Great name, Beerswimmer!

I very much agree with you on the price of brands like Orijen.

Back not that long ago, it seems to me, the price point for a high-end "super premium" food was $1 per pound. Now, some of the prices are jaw-dropping.

We have been on Taste of the Wild with our current Dobe. We get it for $50 for a 30 lb. bag. More than I'd like to pay, but he is still filling out and he has a very sensitive g.i. system so we still have him on this quality of a food.

 

[Archer]

Welcome! The search for the right food is tough. Lol. I feed Orijen, but it's not for everyone. I would suggest looking into Fromm, Taste of The Wild or Wellness CORE. Dobermans can have sensitive GI systems, so whatever you choose go with GF. You also want to stay under 38% protein with a LB puppy. www.dogfoodadvisor.com is a good resource to use when searching for the right food.

 

[Horselady]

I'm still a Diamond Naturals supporter. The straight Diamond isn't as good but the Naturals is a good line, no corn, etc. The large breed puppy is 30-35 bucks for 40lbs

 

[JanS]

We fed Fromm Gold LB puppy when Albert was young and now they're both on Taste of the Wild Wetlands and do great with it. I believe we pay about $47 for a 30# bag and that includes tax. The Fromm was a bit more than that, but a good food overall.

 

[Beerswimmer]

I went to the local premium pet food store today and spent about 30ins talking with the worker. The store had all of the brands listed, plus a bunch more. All were under $60 per bag, most between $40-$50. She recommended Victor Hi-Pro Plus(5 stars on dog food advisor)for a puppy based on high quality ingredients and cost, any thoughts? Seems like a win to me.

 

[bomary]

Jax has been on Victor Grain Free Active Dog ALS since he was four months old. (He's 13 months now.) Like you said, it's a 5 star food. He has never has gastro problems. I'm a first timer, but this has really worked out well for us.

 

[Beerswimmer]

Slowly switching from Purina to the Victor. He's eating a cup and a half 3 times a day and is eating all of it, so at dinner I gave him 2 cups. He ate all of that too, and was looking for more!

 

[bomary]

Victor has been so great for us. The only gastro issues he's ever had are my fault (crap I should have picked up, etc. so he couldn't get to it with his voracious love of chewing things up and swallowing them). His coat is beautiful. I really lucked in to finding it at my feed store, and the price is great.
I'm glad to hear your boy is enjoying it. You don't hear of it as much as you hear of the other grain-free highly-rated foods, but I suppose that's a good things so that it keeps the price down!

 

[Beerswimmer]

The HI-PRO Plus isn't grain free, but it's still really good and was suggested as a puppy food for the first 4-6 months, then switch to the grain free ALS kind.

 

[bomary]

The HI-PRO Plus isn't grain free, but it's still really good and was suggested as a puppy food for the first 4-6 months, then switch to the grain free ALS kind.

Oh yeah, that makes sense. That is when I put Jax on the grain free ALS...just after 4 months. Anyway, cool to see another Victor pup...

 

[AMM in the Mitten]

I am in the same boat at Beerswimmer! Im all about the best food for the best price, however; I have read so much about dog food lately that I think I am going to grow a tail. Currently, Bourbon is eating 4Health GF puppy. My cat eats the GF 4Health cat food and I have been extremely happy with it so I felt like I could trust the brand and the vet was pleased with my choice. By the same token though, I want our guy to eat the best he possibly can within our budget! My research led me to Merrick GF Puppy, which I introduced yesterday evening mixed with the 4Health. Bourbon scarfed it up! I have read a lot of things about TOTW on here and other sites, so I am starting to wonder if that is a better option. He seems to be doing well on 4Health, however; if there is something better I should be feeding him that I can afford, that is my preference. Help a newbie out!

 

[strykerdobe]

We feed Raw. But if we had to go back and feed kibble or canned these are something's I would follow in choosing a food. Same thing goes for picking treats.
What ever Large Breed Puppy food you choose. Then a Large Breed Adult or a All Life Stage food.
Not all great foods are for every dog. Each dog is different.
Your Budget
No Corn, Wheat or Soy of any kind.
Look for a food that gets most of its proteins from a named meat sources and named fish. And not plants.
One that has the highest protein and lowest in carbs. Meat proteins and fats are good. Foods high in Carbs are not good.
Food rotation every month of different named meat proteins.

Good sources to learn about foods.
www.dogfoodadvisor.com rates them from 5stars down to 1
www.dogaware.com
www.b-naturals.com
www.truthaboutpet food.com

The Truth About Dog Food—an Exposé Every Dog Lover Needs to Read

How To Select a Pet Food That's Actually Good For Your Pet

Best Dog Food Reviews and Ratings of 2017 - Reviews.com

Then you can also look up and watch this new Documentary on pet food. Called Pet Fooled

 

[alphafemale]

I feed Mila (and the rest of my pack) Drs. Foster Smith Chicken puppy. Needed a food for everyone, with good oils for the Shih Tzu's hair, on and on. That's been really great for all of ours, including Mila. Technically she doesn't need the small kibble, but she's good about eating like the smaller dogs and not gorging. Doesn't even eat as much as recommended. She fills up on less. So do the rest.

 

[NikiL02]

The size of the kibble is the one REAL complaint I've had about TOTW puppy. It's miniscule. The other main peeve I have is the calcium and potassium are not listed on the bag or the website. You can find it with digging but I dont understand why not just put it on there?

 

[WiglWerm]

I want our guy to eat the best he possibly can within our budget!

This is exactly why I went raw! I wanted to feed the BEST I could get, but stay within a reasonable budget, so raw it was.

 

[AMM in the Mitten]

This is exactly why I went raw! I wanted to feed the BEST I could get, but stay within a reasonable budget, so raw it was.

From what I have read, raw is wonderful, however; I dont think raw is the way for me.

 

[AMM in the Mitten]

N

The size of the kibble is the one REAL complaint I've had about TOTW puppy. It's miniscule. The other main peeve I have is the calcium and potassium are not listed on the bag or the website. You can find it with digging but I dont understand why not just put it on there?

Niki, I have a very naive question, only because it has been 20 years since I had a puppy: why does the size of the kibble matter?

 

[AMM in the Mitten]

I feed Mila (and the rest of my pack) Drs. Foster Smith Chicken puppy. Needed a food for everyone, with good oils for the Shih Tzu's hair, on and on. That's been really great for all of ours, including Mila. Technically she doesn't need the small kibble, but she's good about eating like the smaller dogs and not gorging. Doesn't even eat as much as recommended. She fills up on less. So do the rest.

I saw that brand at Petco the other day. I was turned off from it because they had a GIANT display, an entire aisle of Dr. Foster Smith. I tend to wonder why they need to do ALL THAT to get you to buy their product. Im sure it's great, just turned me off!