Chicken Soup for the Puppy Lovers Soul ?

[bcordes]

I have my new puppy Max (16 weeks old and I love him so much!!) on the puppy version of this because the local place that carries it didnt have the large breed formula in. So after reading through all the posts I still am confused. Do I need to have them order me in the large breed puppy kind? should I use the adult version? or is the puppy kind ok? Thank you!

[CaynCher]

I believe that the main difference between the adult & puppy formula of CSFTDLS is the protein content. Puppy formula has higher protein. I used a large puppy formula when Royce was a pup then switched to adult formula later on.

:dogbark :reddogx

[CanadianGolden]

Yes, you need to be using either LBP or Adult. Adult should be fine--I switch my dogs at 3 months.

[Belleisgolden]

I just took our puppy Belle to the vet Thursday, and the vet said keep her on LBF till she is at least 12 months old. Belle is 13 weeks old and on CSFTPLS LBF.The vet said LBF are developed to keep puppies from growing too fast. They have less protein and fat in them.The vet said that this will help them to avoid hip dysplasia, bone and joint problems. There are factors that cannot be controlled, as in heiredity, but food can be controlled, so she recommends LBF. I believe the other way would be to switch from regular breed puppy food to adult food at 3-6 months if I understand the other threads correctly. I think the reasoning is the same.Adult food will have less protein and fat. My vet said the ratios on the CSFTPLS LBF were correct,so I'll stay with it or get another premium/natural food/holistic food in large breed formula. It seems easier to me to get something made for a growing puppy and takes out some of the guess work.
My vet did not approve of CS, and said switch to a well known brand such as Iams, Pro Plan, Hills, or Eukanuba.
I will not use any of the above brands because of ingredients in them. (lots of fillers such as corn ) You will find most vets are not versed in alternative brands and recommend hills, etc.
I don't depend on the vet for nutritional advice usually, except I think a healthy LBF will be an easier chioce.
She didn't like the CS because it is a Diamond food product and they had a recall last year which was really bad. Some pets died. It was from tainted corn ( aflatoxin ) however, CS does not have corn in it. As far as I know CS was not in the recall, but many Diamond foods were. I didn't know CS was a diamond food till after I got it. I do think it is safe or I would not feed it to Belle. However I may switch to Solid Gold Wolfcub Puppy which is their LBF. also Innova LBF, or, Fromm puppy Large Breed Gold Food. Canidae has a all life stages that fits the guidelines my vet recommended in protein, fats, etc.. Canidae is highly recommended by many on forums and the ingredients look good.
Belle is still a little gassy on the CSFTPLS LBF, which causes me to look a bit further,but I think CS is a very good food.

When I was looking into pet food I used this article;

http://www.iheartpaws.com/articles/35/1/Dog-Food--Decoding-Fact-from-Fiction.html/

It has a lot of great info and links to good food companies.
I also used ;
www.petfooddirect.com

this site has the natural foods as well as premiums foods and list the ingredients which was very helpful.

So in answer to your question, speak with your vet and read up on it and decide if you want to switch to LBF till 12 -18 months or switch to adult now or in the next 2 months, but do not stay on regular puppy formula. Hope that was helpful.

[CanadianGolden]

Adult has the same concept as LBP--adult and LBP are both lower in calories and fat than puppy food. I see no reason to use LBP though, when adult serves the same purpose.

[bcordes]

I just posted about useing Chicken Soup for the Puppies Lovers Soul and I believe I will be using the adult version after this bag is done but now I have to choose between the large breed adult or the regular adult. Which would you choose for a golden?

C.S.F.T.D.L.S. Adult version:

Guaranteed Analysis
Crude Protein 24.0% Minimum
Crude Fat 14.0% Minimum
Crude Fiber 3.0% Maximum
Moisture 10.0% Maximum
Sodium 0.3% Maximum
Zinc 150 mg/kg Minimum
Selenium 0.4 mg/kg Minimum
Vitamin E 300 IU/kg Minimum
Omega-6 Fatty Acids * 2.2% Minimum
Omega-3 Fatty Acids * 0.4% Minimum


C.S.F.T.D.L.S. Large Breed Adult:

Guaranteed Analysis
Crude Protein 23.0% Minimum
Crude Fat 13.0% Minimum
Crude Fiber 4.0% Maximum
Moisture 10.0% Maximum
Sodium 0.3% Maximum
Zinc 150 mg/kg Minimum
Selenium 0.4 mg/kg Minimum
Vitamin E 300 IU/kg Minimum
Omega-6 Fatty Acids * 2.2% Minimum
Omega-3 Fatty Acids * 0.4% Minimum
L-Carnitine * 40 mg/kg Minimum
Glucosamine Hydrochloride * 1000 mg/kg Minimum
Chondroitin Sulfate * 250 mg/kg Minimum

He is 16 weeks old so which do you think would be best for him to provide a better futire for my little guy? Thanks again so much!

[CanadianGolden]

Regular adult is fine. Goldens are not really a "large breed" to me, thus why I switch to regular adult at 3 months instead of using LBP.

[Belleisgolden]

Dog food companies that list a weight for Large Breed Formulas list a dog who is 50 or 55 lbs. in most cases. CS has a good website at

www.chickensoupforthepetloverssoul.com

I didn't see a weight on it,but I know from experence that they answer your questions fast, so I think you should email them. I understand that many don't think of 50 or 55 lbs as large, but the pet food companies have their own guidelines. I can't be sure but I would expect my puppy to be over 55 lbs as an adult, and I noticed that the weight of dogs listed on this site was 65.3 at one year on females. ( understanding these are averages and not written in stone)
I also noticed some foods don't have large breed formulas. That is why I think it would be best to contact CS about the weight they consider large. They have always been very helpful when I contacted them.

[CaynCher]

I use the adult formula for both of my Goldens. I never buy the LB Adult formulas. I did keep one pup on the LB puppy formula for almost 12mths. with no problems at all. When my senior Golden was a pup, they didn't even have the LB puppy formula back then.

:dogbark :reddogx