Calcium?

[rdqueena]

My breeder recommended feeding my Newf a large dollop of whole-milk yogurt with his meals. I've recently read about the concern of "too much calcium" for large breeds. Is feeding him yogurt (approx 2oz per day) providing too much calcium?
Otherwise feeding him Taste of The Wild - Pacific Stream, grain-free.
Thanks!

 

[Sound Bay Newfs]

Taste of the Wild is too high in calcium and phosphorus for a pup to begin with. It actually is about twice as high in calcium as recommended. But a little yogurt is ok and good for pups. Did your breeder recommend Taste of the Wild?

 

[rdqueena]

No, she recommended Earthborn, but I can't get it locally. She felt ToTW was fine. My other available choices are Nutro, Wysone and Canidae (as well as the usual IAMS, Hill's, etc)

 

[Brandie&Maggie]

Look into buying food online. There are many websites that offer free shipping (wag.com; chewy.com, etc. This is what we do. We are signed up for auto delivery and can get many foods we can't get locally. I even tack on the cat litter order to the dog food so it all gets shipped for free and shows up at my house every month!

 

[Ginny]

Try Wag.com and Chewy.com They may carry the food you're looking for and shipping is free if you spend $50

I don't know about Pacific Stream's Ca content, but I do know their High Prairie has 2.3% Ca when converted to dry matter which would give me pause. Studies on Great Danes show that exceeding 3% can cause orthopedic problems. I never supplement my pups with any dairy because of adding Calcium.

Sound Bay and I have gone round and round about feeding large breed puppy food. She doesn't, I do. I feed Wellness Super 5 Large Breed Puppy because it has a maximum Ca level of 1.4% Read these articles and talk with your breeder who should know how his/her lines grow. Also check out the thread on What Age to Stop Puppy Food...

https://s3.amazonaws.com/assets.pro...44e1a1036fa4f52e03ee/filePV0510_Nutrition.pdf


http://veterinarynews.dvm360.com/dvm/article/articleDetail.jsp?id=804547&pageID=1

 

[rdqueena]

I don't feed puppy food and never did (Ullr is 11 mos old now). Assuming I would like to continue feeding him grain-free, any recommendations on brand / type ?? I know everyone likes Orijen, but WOW, that's expensive. I looked online and see I do have a lot of choices and free shipping.
Also, is there an affordable (reasonably) Glucosamine supplement anyone would recommend?

 

[Sound Bay Newfs]

Sound Bay and I have gone round and round about feeding large breed puppy food. She doesn't, I do. I feed Wellness Super 5 Large Breed Puppy because it has a maximum Ca level of 1.4% Read these articles and talk with your breeder who should know how his/her lines grow. Also check out the thread on What Age to Stop Puppy Food...

https://s3.amazonaws.com/assets.pro...44e1a1036fa4f52e03ee/filePV0510_Nutrition.pdf


http://veterinarynews.dvm360.com/dvm/article/articleDetail.jsp?id=804547&pageID=1

I don't know if the food was adult or puppy, as I was just looking at the ca/phosphorus levels.

 

[Sound Bay Newfs]

I don't feed puppy food and never did (Ullr is 11 mos old now). Assuming I would like to continue feeding him grain-free, any recommendations on brand / type ?? I know everyone likes Orijen, but WOW, that's expensive. I looked online and see I do have a lot of choices and free shipping.
Also, is there an affordable (reasonably) Glucosamine supplement anyone would recommend?

Fromm and Canidae are good foods many are happy with. Any human grade glucosamine/chondroitin from a drug store is good.

 

[Ginny]

ConsumerLab.com in May/June 2012 posted an analyses of joint supplements they tested. They found 2 human supplements to have lead in them: Whole Foods Glucosamine/Chondroitin Complex and KAL Glucosamine/Chondroitin/MSM by Nutraceuticals.

Dog Supplements with lead: Doc Roy's Aches Away and Doctors Foster and Smith Joint Care Level 3

Other brands didn't get good ratings because they didn't have the declared amount of Chondroitin in them - less than claimed.

 

[Ginny]

Once they're through their huge growth spurts, usually around a year, the amount of Ca becomes less of an issue. I fed TOTW High Prairie to my adults for more than a year and saw no difference from the Canidae ALS I'd been feeding. I switched back to Canidae. A dog food store owner told me that the dogs found the fish TOTW to be less liked by his customers' dogs. Never tried it however.

 

[nowhavethreebears]

Is this analysis still available for viewing anywhere? These supplements are getting so expensive I want to know that I am getting what I pay for and they are safe for the dogs.

 

[Ginny]

Unfortunately you have to subscribe to have access to their studies. It's a source of funding for their research.

 

[Sound Bay Newfs]

Is this analysis still available for viewing anywhere? These supplements are getting so expensive I want to know that I am getting what I pay for and they are safe for the dogs.

I buy the supplements (gluc/chon) at the food store or drug store and watch for sales. Generally you can get good quality at good prices.

 

[rdqueena]

I buy my own Glucosamine / Chrondritin at Vitacost. They have good prices and pass the Consumer Reports tests. I've read somewhere that Costco's Kirkland brand is produced under some of the strictest standards. I've taken to giving Ullr people G/C as is a bit cheaper and easier to get. Also bought some "Joint Health" Greenies which have G/C in them. He hates the regular greenies, but loves those.
I bought some Earthborn food, which has lower calcium. Hopefully, he'll like it. Sometimes he goes off his food (for days!), which is frustrating. Now, when he turns up his nose, we pick up the bowl, grab a spoon and pretend to eat it at the table. Put the bowl back down and he can't get at it fast enough! LOL!

 

[Bonnke's Mom]

I have fed Bonnke Taste of the wild, grain free, since we brought him home at ten weeks. He has done very well with it.