What the hell is the difference?!

[Driley62]

We added a 3rd dog to the pack a few weeks back her name is Willow and is a pure bred labrador retriever.

However this thread is not about he specifically but difference between a couple of blends one brand sells.

Purina puppy chow vs puppy chow complete vs puppy chow large breed.

The breeder I got her from started the litter on puppy chow complete which is fine idc. But I want what's best for her growth. Back when my mixes lab was a puppy all there was was puppy chow...nothing else. I've scoured the internet trying to find answers to the difference to no avail. I'd imagine considering the large breed mix would be better for her. But the large breed doesn't have the, "mothers milk" stamp on it(something to do with stuff in the food found in mother's milk). With that said she will be 12 weeks old here in a short time. When should she be fed the puppy complete til and when should she be switched to puppy large breed?

I plan on switching her to a much better brand when she's fully grown. They also have a puppy food, but their puppy food is only good for dogs that are 50 lbs or smaller at adult age...which made no sense to me.

So many things going on in my mind about purina puppy chows as a whole and found no answers.

Thanks to anyone that can help!

 

[CluckerFamily]

I don’t feed purina but I have large dogs and the local feed store put me on the right track for the dog food I use. When the boys were puppies, I fed them the large breed puppy food. My sister has a smaller breed, she fed her dog the normal puppy food. On the back of my bags, it tells for how long you use that before upgrading to large breed adult food.

 

[cassie]

I feed my dogs Purina One. Meat is the first ingredient and they do very well on it. Their coats are shiny, they are a proper weight, and their stool is firm and virtually odorless. This last means they are digesting it well. They are adult dogs and not puppies though.

 

[Driley62]

I don’t feed purina but I have large dogs and the local feed store put me on the right track for the dog food I use. When the boys were puppies, I fed them the large breed puppy food. My sister has a smaller breed, she fed her dog the normal puppy food. On the back of my bags, it tells for how long you use that before upgrading to large breed adult food.

I know how long before I have to convert her. My main gripe/question in this thread is what the hell is the difference between the 3 "different" purinas (complete, regular puppy chow and large breed). I can't find a difference online and at quick glance on the ingredient lists on the bag it's also the same(unless I missed something).

 

[Driley62]

I feed my dogs Purina One. Meat is the first ingredient and they do very well on it. Their coats are shiny, they are a proper weight, and their stool is firm and virtually odorless. This last means they are digesting it well. They are adult dogs and not puppies though.

I'm not sure if you've heard of it, but check out dogfoodadvisor.com I considered switching to purina one in the past as I thought it would be an easier transition for my eldest dog(at the time she was like 6 or 7) with her sensitive stomach. That web site is amazing at breaking down and analyzing every major food. That said up until one dog in our house had to have a diet change to prescription food because of her breed(50 bladder stones removed and analyzed showed it was her breed not her diet but diet change will stop development of more stones). My whole house of dogs ate wholesomes sportmix. Midwest based company but where I buy it from is produced and packed in a new york facility(I'm from ny). Plus the shop owner I get it from closely monitors every exp date, recall everything that could possibly be an issue with every brand she carries.

The brand recently had a recall on the food that came from the Midwest plant. So other stores like tsc that sells it had to pull it from shelves where she didn't. She made sure every bag she had at the time was from ny then double checked the best by/exp date on her entire inventory of the brand/bags in question.

 

[21hens-incharge]

You may find the difference to be in the added vitamins and minerals added not necessarily in the ingredient list.

For my very large dogs I fed a large breed puppy food.

Of note will be the protein percentage. Protein levels that are high can cause bone and joint pain in the large breed dogs. I learned that with my big guys (adult weights were 115 and 125#). The vet had me put them on lower protein feed and the limping stopped within a few days.

 

[Driley62]

You may find the difference to be in the added vitamins and minerals added not necessarily in the ingredient list.

For my very large dogs I fed a large breed puppy food.

Of note will be the protein percentage. Protein levels that are high can cause bone and joint pain in a he large breed dogs. I learned that with my big guys (adult weights were 115 and 125#). The vet had me put them on lower protein feed and the limping stopped within a few days.

That's helpful. Thank you,

Like I said ive been continuing to buy the puppy chow complete as that was what the breeder started the puppies and their mother on. When I went to the store to buy another bag I was hit with all 3 right next to each other(same brand so not surprising). This led me to scour the internet after I bought the same bag the first time to find an answer which I didn't find. Fast-forward to yesterday, found myself wondering the same thing again but this time I flipped over all 3 trying to find the difference with still no obvious luck. As much as I'm not a fan of purina brand when it comes to dog/cat im sticking with it until she becomes an adult as its cheap(3 dogs 3 different brands with purina the cheapest and royal canin prescription being the most at $100 per 25 pound bag). I plan on converting her to what I perceive as a better brand called wholesomes sportmix.

 

[21hens-incharge]

That's helpful. Thank you,

Like I said ive been continuing to buy the puppy chow complete as that was what the breeder started the puppies and their mother on. When I went to the store to buy another bag I was hit with all 3 right next to each other(same brand so not surprising). This led me to scour the internet after I bought the same bag the first time to find an answer which I didn't find. Fast-forward to yesterday, found myself wondering the same thing again but this time I flipped over all 3 trying to find the difference

It can me overwhelming and make your head spin trying to find the best food for your puppy.

There are way to many options to even begin to research them all....by the time you get through half they come up with a dozen more.

My big guys were very sick when we got them. I wanted the very best food to help get them back on track. It was a daunting task trying to find what was best for THEM.

Thing is....what works great for some might not be the best for others. It's more of a matter of finding what works for YOURS and not getting sucked into the hype that is all to prevalent these days.

 

[Artichoke Lover]

I don’t know about complete vs. regular but large breed puppy foods usually have a different protein percentage as well as different calories and calcium. This is supposed to help prevent joint problems especially as the dog gets older.

 

[Driley62]

It can me overwhelming and make your head spin trying to find the best food for your puppy.

There are way to many options to even begin to research them all....by the time you get through half they come up with a dozen more.

My big guys were very sick when we got them. I wanted the very best food to help get them back on track. It was a daunting task trying to find what was best for THEM.

Thing is....what works great for some might not be the best for others. It's more of a matter of finding what works for YOURS and not getting sucked into the hype that is all to prevalent these days.

It can lol. Like I said before when my eldest dog was a pup there was only one which was puppy chow. Actually I remember vividly when she came of age for adult food shortly after purina released puppy chow complete...this was 9 years ago. So I thought then well hell they came out with something better my luck timing wise lol.