Giant Breed Dry Food

funkhouser

Any recommendations for Giant Breed dry food? So something lowish in protein.

The cost of premium foods can really hurt for the giant breed, if I have to pay for it I will but I'm looking for something 50 euro for 15kg or under.

Has anybody heard of or used Hounda or know who produces it? 18% protein but it's very hard to find anywhere and there are mixed reports online. It's quite cheap and I know you get what you pay for.

Nody

Why would you want low protein because it's a giant breed? If anything you'd want the best food possible to avoid issues down the line and ensure they get the correct amount.

Anyway if you want something in your range you have Black Angus Junior by Markus Muhle and Greenwoods Puppy; both contain rice but at least meat is the primary ingredient.

pawrick

I was speaking with a newfoundland breeder a couple of months ago and they mentioned Barking Heads for their adult dogs. I havent used it and I'm not sure it comes in under 50 euro

http://www.barkingheads.co.uk/products/large-breed/

The Royal Canin for giant breeds comes in at 47.99 euro for 15Kg or 91.99 for 2x15Kg on zooplus.de

Another brand which was recommended by the breeder was an Irish one I cant think of the name of but I think it is made in Co. Galway, I haven't seen it anywhere except on the makers website.

btw if the dog is a pup there are specific varieties within each brand usually for giant breeds to heap re the growth issues.

I have to do some research on this myself as it's coming time to take my guy off the puppy food and I'm not keen on the royal canin. I've already switch my cats to bozita from it and they are doing great, it just seems over priced for what is in it imo.

Nody

Forgot to add; this link has the key parts of look out in terms of what's in it in terms of calcium etc. and how to calculate it.

JaeFox

18% protein seems very low. What breed do you have OP?

I've got two big guys, 50 & 60kg and at the moment they are on RedMills Engage duck, I switch their food around pretty regularly though and have used Markus Muhle and they loved it. I wouldn't bother with Royal Canin, it's not great quality for the price and you can get much better foods for cheaper

funkhouser

It's an Irish Wolfhound. The Irish Wolfhound Society in the UK recommended an intake of 18% or less and I've read other similar advice.

Cherry Blossom

My understanding of it is that giant breeds need a low protein diet while growing as they need to grow slowly and avoid growth spurts in order to prevent bone and joint issues.

tk123

adrenalinjunkie wrote: »

My understanding of it is that giant breeds need a low protein diet while growing as they need to grow slowly and avoid growth spurts in order to prevent bone and joint issues.

You can achieve that by controlling the amount you feed them though. I followed a plan from an American (san diego I think?) breed club for retrievers when Lucy was a baby. Granted she's a retriever and not a giant breed but it worked really really well she's got great muscle tone and perfect joints.

JaeFox

I would be far more worried about the calcium and phosphoros levels than protein levels in their food. Is it an adult or pup you have OP? Had a look at hounda and it looks awful to be honest, meat should be the first ingredient in a good dog food, and should definitely be more than a minimum of 4%

Nody

adrenalinjunkie wrote: »

My understanding of it is that giant breeds need a low protein diet while growing as they need to grow slowly and avoid growth spurts in order to prevent bone and joint issues.

Sorry but you are wrong; it's a common myth and you can find the reference paper on it in the link above. There are three main issues:

• Genetics
• Overfeeding
• Excessive dietary calcium / phosphorus

Obviously Genetics comes down to selecting the right puppy (i.e. avoid BY breeders) while the other two can be controlled by the choice of food and how it's served; protein content however is not an issue.

candymoon

We give Eucanuba for giants.