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  1. #1
    Puppy jtsum13's Avatar
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    Question Conflicted on Food Choice

    Hey guys, I'm fairly new to this board. We just got a black lab puppy at the start of this year. His name is Major and he's 4 months old.

    When we brought him home from the breeder, we were told he was currently eating ProPlan 30/20 chicken and so we bought that and a couple days later the vet told us to only feed him food that is specifically for puppy. I talked to the breeder about this and she recommended Eukanuba Puppy for Large Breed so we purchased that. We made the rookie mistake of buying the 30lb bag right off the bat so we thought we could let him eat most of the bag before switching, so we kept him on the ProPlan for about 2 weeks after bringing him home. We noticed he stopped eating after the first week and a half, so we decided that was the time to start switching him to the Eukanuba. He was fine on the Eukanuba for about a week then he stopped eating as much (he ate about 1 to 1 1/2 cups a day). His stools also got really soft and were often times not even solid.

    We asked around at Petsmart and they said that if his stools were fine when we fed him ProPlan then we should to go back to the ProPlan but try a different version and see if he will eat it. We got him the Savor and have started transitioning him to that from the Eukanuba. It's only been a few days, but I've never seen him get so excited for meal times and actually eat all his food. When we go to get his food, he runs straight to the food bin and ready for it. His stools have already started to become more solid and look like they did when we first brought him home.

    I've noticed though that there are a lot people on here saying not to get the Savor version of ProPlan. Should we have gotten him the Focus version made for large breed puppies instead? They don't look that much different when I compare them.

  2. #2
    Senior Dog
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    I think the reason most people don’t like the Savor line is it has a lot of soy, and not all dogs do well on that. (At least the adult versions do ... not familiar with the puppy one). That said, if your pup is doing well on it then no worries, go ahead and feed it. Since he didn’t do well on the Eukanuba, it might be worth comparing the ingredient list to see if you can determine what didn’t agree with him so you can avoid it in the future (you might not be able to tell though).

    By the way, your vet is wrong about needing a specific puppy food. The Pro-Plan 30/20 chicken is what is called an “all-life stages” food, and is perfectly appropriate for puppies.
    Annette

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    Abulafia (02-08-2016), jtsum13 (02-08-2016), Labradorks (02-08-2016)

  4. #3
    Senior Dog Shelley's Avatar
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    Why would your puppy need to eat a puppy food? Many breeders raise their puppies on Pro Plan Sport 30/20, it is labeled as an "All Life Stages" food and is totally appropriate for puppies.

    It is generally recommended not to switch up foods for a baby puppy because of digestive upset, and you could also create a picky eater if you change foods often. Petsmart is also not a great source of information regarding dog food, but I digress. If your vet insists on puppy food, I would so the Pro Plan Focus puppy, the Savor food has little bits of soft food made from soy, and most Labradors do not tolerate this ingredient very well. I also would not feed a Large Breed dog food, because Labradors are not a large breed, and Large Breed foods are identical to adult foods on the label, so why switch from the Pro Plan 30/20 from the start?

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  6. #4
    Senior Dog dxboon's Avatar
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    Something to remember: most vets, unless they have a personal/professional focus on nutrition, don't get a lot of formal training in feeding dogs. Presumably you researched your breeder and found a reputable one. If so, they should know what food their lines thrive upon and can be a better resource for you. If my puppy had come home on ProPlan 30/20 I would go back to that food.

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  8. #5
    Puppy jtsum13's Avatar
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    Trust me, I questioned the vet on why the Pro Plan 30/20 Chicken wasn't good enough since it was all life stages. About the only thing that somewhat made sense to me from the vet was that we needed large breed dog food. I still question whether or not a Labrador is considered a large breed, but I can kind of understand. I had a 200lb Saint Bernard growing up, and that to me is a large breed.

    He seems to be fine on the Pro Plan. Thanks for the advice Annette47, I'll compare the Eukanuba and ProPlan and see if I can figure out what he had issues with. I think he likes the flavor of the Savor version, but if it looks like it is starting to upset his stomach, I will probably try the Pro Plan Focus puppy since they seem so similar minus the little soft pieces. I don't know why the vet wants it to be a strictly puppy food, but Major seems to be taking to the Pro Plan better in every way than the Eukanuba. I really want to get him on one food and not switch around too many times. I don't want a picky dog. He's already ornery enough as it is.

  9. #6
    Chief Pooper Scooper JenC's Avatar
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    I would stick with Pro Plan 30/20. It's all life stages, and perfectly fine for a puppy. It's what my labs are on.

  10. #7
    Senior Dog Abulafia's Avatar
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    I'd stick w/ what the breeder suggested. Hoku came home on ProPlan puppy, but (by breeder's rec.) she switched to Sport 26/16 when she was about 12 weeks old. Stick with what works.
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  11. #8
    Senior Dog Georgia's Avatar
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    I raised Sam on the Pro Plan Focus large breed puppy and he did really well on it. He's three years old now and my go to food for him is the Focus large breed adult. I'm in the minority but I like the large breed formula for Sam. He struggles with his weight and I can feed him a little more of the large breed formula which makes him happy. I find most of the Pro Plan formulas are just too high in calories for him.
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  12. #9
    Senior Dog smartrock's Avatar
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    At 4 months of age, many puppies are switched to an adult formula of food anyway.

    Upon seeing an orthopedic vet when Lark was 6 months old, I was told to take her off ProPlan Sport formulas because they were "too hot" for a growing lab, meaning the high level of protein and fat could cause too rapid growth and weight gain in a puppy whose skeletal development was still in process. Because labs have a high risk for orthopedic issues, she thought her food was too rich and she was gaining weight too fast. She was actually on the 26/16 formula, which was lower in protein and fat than the puppy formula but a bit higher in fat than large breed puppy food. While labs are not considered large breed dogs, because of the higher occurrence of orthopedic issues, some vets may recommend the large breed formulas for slower growth. If you used a knowledgeable breeder, they should know what works best for their pups.
    Sue

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    “Because of the dog's joyfulness, our own is increased. It is no small gift. It is not the least reason why we should honor as well as love the dog of our own life, and the dog down the street, and all the dogs not yet born. What would the world be like without music or rivers or the green and tender grass? What would this world be like without dogs?”

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  13. #10
    Puppy jtsum13's Avatar
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    Thanks for all the great replies. The breeder is a big fan of ProPlan and it seems like the best choice. She did say that their pups work best on large breed, but I guess they have heard of some issues from fellow breeders in the area that they have experienced growing pains from the Sport 30/20. She recommended giving him the Focus Large Breed Puppy (like many of you have) until 10 months then switch to the adult version. Looks like that is what we are going to stick with. He seems to do best on the ProPlan and he is actually eating again.

 



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