# confusion reigns



## fangsterno1 (Oct 25, 2015)

i am currently feeding my 14 week old male V millies wolfheart hunters mix (attatchment has ingredients list) i changed from what the breeder had been feeding because of a lot of grain and cereal and wanted a better quality food for him but i was reading a discussion on FB where they were saying that the ash and calcium % were slightly high i have been looking at other brands orijen and canagan so far seem to be looking the best but theres also the choice of puppy,puppy large breed or adult i read somewhere that puppy large breed are designed to speed up the growth and its best to feed adult food and allow the growth to happen naturally but i know info online can be aimed at most breeds and i am looking for opions from people that know about our breed 3


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## Canadian Expy (Feb 27, 2013)

We feed Acana (same company as Orijen) and have from the time our boy was 9 weeks old. We decided not to feed puppy food for the reasons you mention, and our vet agreed. He was all legs and ears for the first year of his life, but around 1.5 years he filled out very nicely. I am pleased that his body took the time it needed to mature. We also chose not to alter until 2 yrs.


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## trevor1000 (Sep 20, 2013)

We went from what the breeder gave us to a brand slightly better ( we got from the Vet when he had a UTI ) to Acana Puppy.
Each time we changed to a "_better_" food we would mix it with the old food at first.
Each time he would pick out the new stuff and eat it and leave the old food.
I started him on raw foods at 12 weeks or so but still fed Acana puppy.
At 1 year we changed to Acana adult still with raw 3 times a week or so.
A few times he looked too skinny for me so I gave him Satin Balls for a week and could see a difference.
These are pretty much the satin balls i used. 
http://redbirddog.blogspot.ca/2010/12/satin-balls.html (Thanks RBD)
He gets Acana 2 times a day with a little coconut oil and a tablespoon or so of http://www.wellnesspetfood.com/product-details.aspx?pet=dog&pid=51 , (_Wellness_ grain free toppers)
He gets a raw meaty bone every 2 or 3 days and 3 times a week he gets raw chicken backs. 
He has filled out nicely at just over 2 years, I'll weigh him tonight but he should be close to 60 pounds.


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## gingerling (Jun 20, 2015)

Asking about food is like stepping into quick sand, every one has a different thought and everyone also is sure about their choice.

Here's mine: Go to dogfoodadvisor.com they evaluate all the foods using the same criteria and explain things easily. You can't really go wrong with any of the top rated foods, although I personally think a lot of the boutique foods that are highly rated and recently taken over by the giants (like Merricks being bought by Purina) seems like an oxymoron and it's just a matter of time until they start to tinker with the formula as well as the sourcing to better fit into their economy of scale operation, leaving you with the belief that you're giving your dog something of higher quality when in fact it's not.

FWIW, I use and am very happy with Annamaet, not only b/c of the formulation, but also the sourcing of the ingredients. For puppies, I recommend their "Encore 25%" for about 9 months, although some use it forever. Their other varieties are also great.

The issue with the types of food isn't so much the ash content, etc....FB is hardly the place to get scientific opinion...but things like protein levels and the ratio of the other ingredients to each other. These are important to a growing puppy, hence the general recommendation based on that life stage. I would NOT use a food for "Large breeds", Vizsla's really aren't in that category, and don't need the extra stuff in those foods. Also, it's inadvisable to alter the type of food based on growth patterns, like "legginess", it's normal, and you shouldn't interfere with that with additives unless specifically recommended by your vet.


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## fangsterno1 (Oct 25, 2015)

ive tried posting a reply 2 times now 3rd times a charm i agree gingerling the topic of feeding is a minefield so much choice so much headache lol i was happy with what he's on now was just unsure with regards ash calcium n that but i think im gonna swap to orijen adult as its ordering time now and tbh ive heard positives about orijen n not too much heard about millies even tho it gets 5 on dogfoodavice uk i think he's been doin good weight wise 10.7kg at 14 weeks old been putting on just under 1 kg per week got him 2 day before his 8week birthday he was 4.1kg when i got him


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## gingerling (Jun 20, 2015)

I'm not so sure about putting a 14 week old on adult formula, why do you want to do this? Orijen makes a good puppy food especially formulated for the growth needs of a puppy.


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## redbirddog (Apr 23, 2010)

Are you suffering from O.D.D.?


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## fangsterno1 (Oct 25, 2015)

gingerling it was after speaking to a few different people i was under the impression that some puppy food can accellerate growth unnaturally but after spending last night looking at my laptop through half closed eyes i think im going to go with the orijen puppy whole prey the more i looked it seemed the low quality foods are the 1s to avoid 
RBD yes yes yes lol i have all the symptoms bar the more than 1 dog


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## texasred (Jan 29, 2012)

I know this will go against what most on the forum would feed, but not against what long time hunters feed. 
I've tried plenty of the highly starred dog foods, on dog food adviser.
Maybe it makes us feel better, if we give our dogs something with 5 stars.
But what makes the dog feel better? Keep in mind they could care less about stars, unless there was a treat behind them.
As a hunter endurance, and quick recovery are a high priority. I think they would be as important to the dog too. I can tell you a hunting dog hates to be left behind, when you pickup a gun and walk out the door. Though trial and error, I go with Purina Pro 30/20 over those highly starred dog foods any day of the week.
Cash has a food allergy, and can no longer eat it. So I'm stuck with feeding him Victor. Whew Hoo 5 stars, and a dog with less endurance.


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## texasred (Jan 29, 2012)

Sorry if my prior post only added to your confusion.
If a puppy is doing very well on a food, I see no reason to change it.
You may find a allergy you didn't know they had, are come across a food that's hard for your puppy to digest.


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## dextersmom (Oct 29, 2013)

Canadian said:


> We feed Acana (same company as Orijen) and have from the time our boy was 9 weeks old. We decided not to feed puppy food for the reasons you mention, and our vet agreed. He was all legs and ears for the first year of his life, but around 1.5 years he filled out very nicely. I am pleased that his body took the time it needed to mature. We also chose not to alter until 2 yrs.


We also feed Acana. We picked one of their "all life stages" foods. Enough nutrition for them as pups, but not overloading them. Orijen is also a great food, but it can be too rich for some young tummies. 

I second checking out dogfoodadvisor.com.

For me, finding a good food is mainly two fold as long as your dog doesn't have allergies, etc. 

1) Finding a food with good ingredients (meat as the first ingredient, grain free, etc.) and 2) Finding a food made by a good company (no recall history, etc.).

Good luck! It's really a personal decision.



TexasRed said:


> Whew Hoo 5 stars, and a dog with less endurance.


Oh man, I can barely handle Dexter with his current energy, lol!


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## gingerling (Jun 20, 2015)

fangsterno1 said:


> gingerling it was after speaking to a few different people i was under the impression that some puppy food can accellerate growth unnaturally but after spending last night looking at my laptop through half closed eyes i think im going to go with the orijen puppy whole prey the more i looked it seemed the low quality foods are the 1s to avoid
> RBD yes yes yes lol i have all the symptoms bar the more than 1 dog


You can speak to a lot of folks and walk away more confused than when you started. That's particularly true online b/c there's just so much opinion available and no way to vet it. That's why you should educate yourself, and dogfoodadvisor.com is a great resource for that they explain everything to you.

I agree with Dex here, as I seem to most often do....educate yourself about ingredients and what's important, try to pick a company that sources it's ingredients well...no recalls...and see how your baby does. If you try something and it works, great. if not, there's no reason not to try something else. But I think if you have an understanding of the ingredients (meat meal first, grain free, etc) then you can make your own judgments and not be so confused by others opinions.

I still don't like the idea of giving a 14 week old anything but either a puppy food or a food for all life stages, but not an adult food. The bug someone put in your head about "Growth problems" on puppy food is nonsense,


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## Canadian Expy (Feb 27, 2013)

I can only speak for Acana, as that was the food we had decided on when we found out we were getting the pup based on our research. The analysis of the puppy food to the adult in Acana is not significantly different. With a good quality food our vet (who knows Vs) had advised that as long as we feed according to the needs of the pup (based on activity level, if he was leaning out due to growth spurt, etc) there was no need to go with the puppy formula. I would not recommend that as a blanket statement for all foods. You decide what is best for your pup, the forum is great for guidance


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## fangsterno1 (Oct 25, 2015)

sorry for late reply guys i work alternate weekend shifts,this weekend its nights 6pm-6am joy lol 1shift to go then off for 3 weeks hohoho  i had found a food and supplier i was happy with good ingredients (i dont think list of ingredients was posted in my previous thread i will try again )not found anything about recalls was for all life stages iuse dogfoodadvisor it was from there that i found out about the nylabone puppy starter kit recall due to possible salmonella threw them straight in bin i am currently in the trial and error stage with food and basically everything else with with regards to el pooch loco he was going good on the millies wolfheart it was just after reading about calcium and ash content being slightly high that i had doubts note to self dont pay too much attention to 1 persons opinion lol canadian expy i agree thats why i posted on here to get a better bit of guidance dexters mom i think your right about the rich part sloppy poo time  but he did have a raw meaty bone other day with a fair bit of meat on it which might have contributed so will be keeping an eye on the situation and change things if needed
once more unto the breach dear friends


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