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  1. #1
    Puppy wendy's Avatar
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    Question Puppy Food Confusion! Fromm...Large Breed? Grain Free?

    Since we would like to be as ready as we can be before our new pup arrives, I have done my research (including reading very helpful posts/threads here in the forum) about different puppy food brands and types/formulas. After all of my investigating & research, I've pretty much decided that I would like to feed our little guy Fromm food. Here are my questions..... What are your opinions and experiences (both positive and negative) with feeding your pups Fromm food? Do I really need to feed him a grain-free food, or is grain-free specifically beneficial to dogs who have allergies to gluten, etc.? I realize that (obviously) large breed puppy foods are specifically formulated with large breed pups in mind; however, is large breed puppy food better for Labs, or is regular puppy formula just as good? Thanks in advance for all advice/info!

  2. #2
    Senior Dog smartrock's Avatar
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    Most breeders on here will recommend you keep your puppy on whatever the breeder was feeding him/her for the first year or so. If you selected a good breeder, you should trust that they know what their dogs do best on. Large breed food is not needed for labs. Fromm seems to be a popular brand on here, but no one food is best for all dogs. If there's some specific reason to change when the pup is so little, Fromm might be a good choice but a lot of people bring a puppy home, switch food right away even though the puppy was doing fine on what they were eating, and rounds of tummy upset and diarrhea ensue. Don't rush to change foods is the recommendation.
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  4. #3
    Senior Dog doubledip1's Avatar
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    I would stick with whatever your breeder is feeding, definitely at least until 6 months.

    You don't need grain free unless your dog shows some kind of sensitivity or allergy. Grain free usually just uses potato or pea as a binder instead of rice, oatmeal, barley etc. You don't want corn or soy as a first ingredient, you want a named protein like chicken or chicken meal. Meal is good in dog food because it is the dehydrated version of the protein, it's definitely something you want to see in your food.

    Fromm family is a great company. Solid food, no recalls, family owned, everything made in the USA. A lot of people here feed it and are happy with it.

    You do not need a large breed puppy food. My breeder actually recommends the all life stages version of the food that she feeds (Pro Plan) for the first few weeks they come home, then switch to puppy.

    If you see diarrhea or loose stool and are feeding what's listed on the bag, cut back. If you're feeding what's listed on the back and your pup is skinny, feed more. The bag requirements are pretty vague, so make sure to monitor body condition and adjust accordingly.
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  6. #4
    Senior Dog Tanya's Avatar
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    If you are going with a good reputable breeder that knows their lines (and did all the health clearances, proves their dogs) then I'd highly recommend talking to them. if they know their lines they likely know what has worked for their dogs to promote appropriate balanced growth thru experience and watching their dogs grow.

    either way it's best to keep the dog on the same food the breeder fed during the transition phase.

    You will find people say both sides regarding large breed, but I think more people are saying labs are not large breed. Most grain free foods are not properly balanced for a puppy (a handful are though).

    Grain free works for lots of dogs, not just a question of those with allergies. but not all dogs do better on grain free. there is no one food option that works for all dogs even within a breed.

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  8. #5
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    We kept Oakley on the food the breeder had her on for the first 10 months or so. Switched to Fromm grain-free very, very slowly and she has done well on it. Our breeder did recommend using a grain free food.

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  10. #6
    Senior Dog Snowshoe's Avatar
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    Double ditto all the above, especially the part about discussing this with your breeder. Breeders usually send some of the food puppy was weaned onto home with you. Breeders, ours anyway, recognize that perhaps you may be unable to purchase their food where you live or it might prove unsuitable for some reason and will help you pick an alternative. Your breeder will likely send you home with detailed feeding instructions, when to increase and decrease amounts, and that will apply to only their food.

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  12. #7
    Chief Pooper Scooper JenC's Avatar
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    Feed what the breeder feeds.

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  14. #8
    Puppy wendy's Avatar
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    Thank you so much, everyone, for helping to clear my confusion about puppy feeding!

  15. #9
    Senior Dog Georgia's Avatar
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    I would also feed what the breeder feeds. But I wanted to chime in that I like the large breed formulas for Sam. I raised him on Pro Plan Focus large breed puppy then switched to the large breed adult. He's now finishing up a bag of Fromm whitefish (I had him on this formula because of its lower calories) but when that's gone I have a bag of Fromm Gold large breed adult for him. The calories/protein/fat in the large breed formulas are more appropriate for Sam.
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  17. #10
    House Broken jertom's Avatar
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    I like the idea of staying with the breeders suggestion, although here's my story;
    my breeder recommended Sportmix Wholesomes chicken and rice, so I went to the feed store and picked up a 30lb bag prior to Rocky coming home, afterwards my veterinarian said he should be on puppy food, so I went to the store and got Iams puppy food, now I had 28lbs of Sportmix to give away to friends, everything went well but I continued to see that some folks here liked Fromm, so when Rocky hit 6 months I decided to switch over, being careful to blend 2/3 old to 1/3 new for a couple weeks, then 50-50 and eventually being at 100% Fromm, at that time Rocky got soft stools and had to go out 2-3 times a night, after 3 nights of this I went and bought more Iams puppy food, every thing straighten out immediately.
    So IMHO; buy small bags to start with, check with your vet ahead of time, watch how your pup is eating and reacting to what you decided to feed.
    And explain to me why Fromm large breed puppy has a small kibble, unless you enjoy picking up dog food off the floor.
    Best of luck to you and your pup.

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