dog food question

[kellikans]

we have three dogs, 68lbs, 50lbs, and a 76lb puppy who is still growing.  we feed the older dogs grain free Taste of the Wild dry food.  we are just now weaning the puppy off of puppy food.  we took a trip to the vet with the puppy and she told us to put her on large breed dog food, which makes sense obviously.  however, it would be much more convenient if we only had to buy one type of dog food.  so my question is, what is in the large breed dog food that makes it different?  is it just the joint supplements?  is it lower in fat?  obviously if its the best choice for her, then we'll get two types of food, but I'd like to stick to just one if possible. 

and does anyone have any suggestions for a grain free large breed dry dog food?  and not something that will make me go broke.  we've been paying $50 for a 30lb bag, so something in that range is preferable. 

[Norticprincess]

The protein percentage, ca content, and ca/p ratios are important for the large/giant breeds.

I have my giant breed (mastiff) on a salmon and potato food, not the large breed formula of her food line (4Health from tractor supply - it is a 4 star, but hers has grains barley $35/35#. They have a grain free line too $40) the large breed has chicken and she has GI issues with chicken.

Her brother was on TOTW until the recall even as a pup he was living with Great Danes who also ate the same food. I know, other than the ones who stay away from Diamond post recall) TOTW is popular on the mastiff forums. I believe he is now on Holistic Select. He had been on Fromm right after the recall.

Several of her other siblings are Diamond Large Breed Lamb and Rice.

Costco has a grain free line that isn't very $$$ and still gets good ratings.

[brittmk0922]

My GSD mix has been raised on TOTW and I swear by it. My family is largely a GSD family so not that big but still closer to the larger end of the spectrum (not quite of the mastiff size though lol).

Sent from my SGH-I257M using proboards

[midnightmare81]

Another vote for Nature's Domain at Costco. It is the same formula as TOTW but not wild (turkey, salmon or beef (never seen beef though) with sweet potato. It is grain free. $30 for 30lbs.

[kris356]

We feed our American Bulldog TOTW. We have fed our last two dogs TOTW (Great Dane/German Shepard mix, English lab)before the passes. We did feed Natures Domain for a while, but our AB is not a salmon fan, and the other varieties aren't available in our area so we went back to TOTW. He has done very well on it, it also solved his horrid gas issues. We now feed it to him and our boston terrier. A bag last a lot longer now!

[shortcake2675]

TOTW is what I feed my pack. One of the pyrs and my Newf(105lbs) had issues with non fish based proteins, so we stuck with Pacific stream. When we were feeding the girls 3 cups daily and Sanka 2 cups daily, we made it two weeks on a bag. Now with just Lexi (100lbs) and Sanka(80lbs), I don't have to buy quite as often. We started Lexi (95lbs at that time) on it at 14 months with no ill effects. Over time, I've adjusted their servings for their activity.

[awick14]

We feed our dog natures domain from Cosco. I believe it's a 4star food and he likes it. It's cheap too which helps. I am not sure if it would be the right formula for large dogs though. (Our dog is 62 lbs, I consider him a large dog but he's tiny compared to yours, lol)

[lolanjoe]

I believe large breed dog food is just a little lower in protein? I feed my three TOTW, and if I remember correctly, Pacific Stream is low enough in protein for large breeds. My dogs are 35lbs, 45lbs, and 85lbs.

[riverpestie]

Feb 27, 2014 1:17:01 GMT -5 lolanjoe said:

I believe large breed dog food is just a little lower in protein? I feed my three TOTW, and if I remember correctly, Pacific Stream is low enough in protein for large breeds. My dogs are 35lbs, 45lbs, and 85lbs.

Yes, if I remember correctly, this is an AlS food and can be fed to large breed puppies.