is this good or not?

Question

i just got a puppy, i was wondering if this would be a good puppy food for a dog that will most likely be 110+ pounds. its called ''PURINA ONE PUPPY LARGE BREED'' is that a good puppy food or no?

Answer 1

You can do MUCH MUCH better than Purina One Puppy. Here is a review of it:
http://www.dogfoodanalysis.com/dog_food_reviews/showproduct.php?product=265&cat=all

And here are the first ingredients:
Chicken, corn gluten meal, brewers rice, poultry by-product meal, whole grain wheat, whole grain corn

Not very nutritious at all. WAY too many grains early on in the ingredients.

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Some good foods are : Merrick, Solid Gold, Canidae, Timberwolf, Orijen, Wellness, Chicken Soup brand, Innova/EVO, etc..

Or check this website for good foods: http://www.dogfoodanalysis.com/dog_food_reviews/
(I recommend only feeding foods rated 4, 5, or 6 stars. Anything 3 stars or less, I would stay away from.)

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Read the ingredients on the food you buy. Go with a high quality dog food. A grain should not be in the first couple ingredients ingredient (corn and such are mainly fillers, dogs don't digest it well). Avoid foods that have a lot of "by products" listed.

Here is an article about byproducts: http://www.dogfoodproject.com/index.php?page=ingrd

Beware "premium" foods. "Premium" does not mean good nutritionally, and is not a nutritionally high quality food. It has the same types of ingredients as grocery store foods, just a bit better quality of those not-so-good ingredients. Premium foods are those like Iams, Eukanuba, Science Diet, etc..

Another thing to be wary of: A lot of vets will recommend what they sell in their office. They get profit from the brands they keep on their shelves, that's why they push it. Truth is, vet schools don't focus a lot on nutrition. It's not saying that a vet is a bad vet because he recommends those foods, a lot of vets just are told "this is good food", so they pass the message along without proper nutrition knowledge. Also, some dog food brands (like Hills) support vet schools, so vets have heard of it from the time they start college, which makes them think it's good as well.

It may seem like quality foods cost more, but in the end, it evens out. With a high-quality food, you don't have as many fillers. Also, with a high-quality food, your dog will eat less and poop less. So while that bag of higher-quality dog food looks expensive, your monthly feeding bills won't increase much.

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When switching foods, do it slowly. I do this over about a two week timespan:
25% food A, 75% food B
50% food A, 50% food B
75% food A, 25% food B
100% food A

Answer 2

I used to work in a store similar to Petsmart. I learned a little about foods there, but much of it is still opinionated.

For a good recommendation ask your vet for a list of foods he/she recommends. It should be LARGE BREED for sure. Especially important for puppies because they need more nutrients than smaller breed pups. They grow bigger (obviously) but they also grow longer (time wise). Large breeds can take up to 2 years to reach adult size. So nourishing this growth is important.

The general rule of thumb we usually used for determining decent food from "cheap" was whether or not it was sold in a grocery store. Purina is. However, things have changed. Some carry Pro Plan and Iams, generally considered decent foods. My preference was always for Nutro or Eukanuba and until recently that was what I fed my animals.

Since the recalls I started looking for a new brand of food. Even Iams, Eukanuba, Nutro, Science Diet, etc use some fillers which are often the culprit when there is a recall. The latest was canned food not dry, but it still caused some concern for me. Because of that I made a switch to Wellness and I really like their stuff so far.

Look at the ingredients on the bag. If the first ingredient is ground yellow corn or similar that is generally a junky food. Look at the first several ingredients (basically until you can't pronounce anything). Where does meat fall? What kind of meat is it? Some foods use "human grade" meat, others do not. The trick is often in the wording. It's been so long I don't recall the exact list of who used what anymore. (Oh, yeah- the ideal food you can pronounce everything on the ingredients list)

As an example: the ingredients from Wellness puppy food:
Deboned Chicken, Chicken Meal, Oatmeal, Ground Barley, Salmon Meal (natural source of DHA-Docosahexaneoic acid), Canola Oil (preserved with mixed tocopherols, a natural source of vitamin E), Ground Brown Rice, Tomato Pomace, Rice Bran (from brown rice), Tomatoes (natural source of Lycopene), Natural Chicken Flavor, Rye Flour, Carrots, Spinach, Sweet Potatoes, Apples, Blueberries, Ground Millet, Flaxseed, Potassium Chloride.

Why does this stuff matter? The more filler in the food the less nutrition that's in it (per oz or lb). That also means the more poop your dog will produce since that's how filler comes out the other end ;) A good quality food will have low filler and thus less poop, often noticeably less, better skin and coat condition, and will require much less to maintain a healthy weight.

If you got your pup from a breeder don't hesitate to ask him/her about what they recommend also.

I hope all this info has helped some. Good luck with your puppy!

Answer 3

Its not the best food, but its not the worste either. Nutro large breed puppy is great, as well as natural balance; all life stages. They have no fillers and use grade A meats and grains. Its easy on the tummy and is great for the skin and coat as well. I use Natural Balance, but its a little bit on the pricy side (but i get free dogfood from work:)) So if this is an issue, nutro is in a lower price range and may be easier for you to find. Petco, Petsmart, and your local pet stores should have it:) Good luck w/ your new puppy:)

Answer 4

Purina is generally a great brand for any type of healthy dog. The more important part of this name is the "large breed" part. Bigger dogs need a diet "in-tune" more with the rate they grow to help prevent multiple developmental problems...most of which relate to bone growth. They also need to be switched over to adult food a bit sooner than you would a little dog. Too much "growth" makes their bones grow too fast...which can lead to problems like hypertrophic osteodystrophy. This brand sounds fine for your puppy. Follow the recommendations on the label for a start on how much to feed and follow your dogs feedback after that! Talk to your vet about when you should switch up to an adult feed when you go to get vaccines and all that. They can look at how your dog is growing and give you better advice by seeing them. As a general guideline, for big dogs, start looking into adult foods at 6-8 months instead of a year for most others.

Answer 5

I know a lot of people here hate Purina. However, when my last dog was overweight, my vet supplied with Purina OWM (overweight management) and it worked wonders! I gave my current two pups Purina (chicken and rice) dry food and they are healthy and happy.

I feel Purina is fine, especially considering my former vet recommended the brand. However, others here hate it and will recommend formulas that are healthier. It's your choice.

Answer 6

Here is a good link to rate dog food brands.
http://www.dogfoodanalysis.com/dog_food_reviews/
Anything with 1-3 stars is going to contain fillers and poor sourced of protein. Purina is a 1 star brand....meaning you can't get much worse nutrition for your dog. I'd keep looking for a new brand.
Go with a 4-6 star brand.

Answer 7

No, its really hard on Puppy's stomachs. I used that when I got my puppy. But I now use Nutro Lamb & Rice. Its really good on puppys stomachs, and its all natural. And its a lot cheaper than Purina.

Answer 8

With my experiences my dogs love purina... but one brand i do not recommend is beneful, it caused my friends dog to die of a kidney stone.

Answer 9

Sounds Ok to me I've fed my pets Purina brand for 40 years.Cats and dogs.My vet says it's fine.If in doubt ask your vet if it's a good choice.I can feel the thumbs down coming.

Answer 10

No Purina dog food is good. Get something like Innova or Canidae and don't be so cheap.