# Puppy Kibble



## stanleyboy (Jan 30, 2013)

I've read all the posts on this topic, but I have a more specific question that someone might have some insight. Our puppy, Stanley now 12 weeks, was on a kibble called Life's Abundance (recommended by breeder). Stanley seemed to love it, but our vet told us he should really be on a puppy food for large breed dogs. So we gradually switched him to Wellness - which he also really likes - he pretty much devours his food and will eat anything. But, WE liked the Life's Abundance much better. When comparing the two kibble you can clearly see that the Life's Abundance is a dark, dense food high in protein - while the Wellness is a lighter, fluffier kibble which contains more fat. Wellness floats in water, Life's Abundance sinks. The reason we like it is for very selfish reasons.... his eliminations are easier to pick up, more solid, not as stinky when he was on the Life's Abundance. So we are torn. Do we keep him on the Breeder's choice, or go with our vet's recommendation. Or, do we find a puppy food for large dogs that resembles the Life's Abundance? Any suggestions? Life's Abundance is a dog food for all ages. Stanley, like all V's is very skinny and we'd like to fatten him up a little 

Thanks!


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## hotmischief (Mar 11, 2012)

You don't say what the protein content is on either, which would be interesting. Usually the reason you give larger breeds "kibble for large breeds" is because it is lower in protein and your puppy won't grow too fast. 

As I am a great believer in judging dog food on how it comes out the other end and the quantity, my gut feeling is the one that your breeder recommended is agreeing with your puppy very well. I always think if kibble gives lots of soft poo, it is not agreeing with the dogs tummy.

I would do three things. 1) talk to your breeder about it, 2) look up the analysis/quality of both kibbles and see how they compare 3) If the protein levels are very high in Life Abundance you could always switch to the adult food. 

Having raised 5 Great Danes I am very aware of the damage that puppy kibble can do to large and giant breeds - rapid growth. I always use normal adult kibble - just my opinion for what it is worth!!!

PS -Does your vet by any chance sell Wellness dog food???


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## stanleyboy (Jan 30, 2013)

thanks for your reply. The Life's Abundance has 26% protein, 16% crude fat. The Wellness has same protein 26%, but strangely the fat content is lower 12-13.5%. Our Vet does not sell Wellness and he actually recommended three other brands (royal canin, science diet, and Iams). We did our own research and found that Wellness seemed a good choice. I looked into the Life's Abundance food a little deeper and found something interesting. You can only order it online - and it appears it is part of a network marketing business - so my breeder likely makes money if we buy it!


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## hotmischief (Mar 11, 2012)

http://www.dogfoodanalysis.com/dog_food_reviews/showproduct.php/product/1301/sort/2/cat/all/page/1

You might find the above link interesting - including the carcinogenic ingredients.

As I feed a raw diet, i am not the best person to advise you on kibble, but there are loads of posts of good quality kibbles for puppies on this forum. Use the search box and do some research.

Some of the more populars brands that come to mind are Taste of the Wild, Acana, Buffallo.

It may take a little bit of time to find a good quality kibble that your puppy likes although it does not sound like he is a fussy eater. You can also use the dogfoodanalysis website to do some research.

Hope this helps.


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## Sparkey (Jan 23, 2013)

That seems a very low protein content in a kibble. 
I use Eden kibble on my pup, as did my breeder. I've done a lot of research into this, have a look on www.whichdogfood.co.uk 
You will be surprised! 
http://edenpetfoods.com/


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## hotmischief (Mar 11, 2012)

You might also read some of the research links recently posted by Lyra about the damage caused by feeding "puppy kibble" to large and giant breeds - causes them to grow far to fast causing a number of health issues. They are well worth reading.


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