Hello dog looking for kibble recommendations for mu 6mo akita

[simplyhis]

Hello family how are u doing?
Im feeding my 6 months old pupp diamond natural large breed puppy food. It is lamb and rice formula. But i feel like he dorsnt like it. And for the last month hes been barely putting any weight on.

What do you guys recommend?
Ive heard good stuff about science hills and victor but i wanted to hear you guys opinion.

 

[godsfisherman84]

@simplyhis Dog food can be pretty polarizing.

When I heavily researched this topic several years ago, one of the most startling things I found is that there are (were?) only 3 brands, out of all the dog foods, that actually employed professional scientists and nutritionists. Hills Science, Purina Pro Plan (not regular Purina!) and one other I can't recall. I chose to feed Hills.

The reality is that most dog foods aren't actually designed for the dog, they're designed for people, costs, and sometimes a general understanding of nutrition. One of the things that blew my mind the most when I got my dog was just how much of the food and treats at your average pet store range from not recommended to flat out bad for your dog. Trust science, not marketing.

All that said, plenty of dogs do fine on plenty of foods.

Dogs eat with their noses, and kibble isn't too attractive. Wetting it with warm water helps a LOT. I also found that my dog basically got bored when eating the same thing every day, so now when I wet his kibble I also throw in some other safe for dog food - meat and veggie scraps/leftovers (no onions!), a little sprinkle of cheese (technically bad for your dog, technically bad for humans), etc. - anything to "spice it up" a little for him. It also makes him insanely happy. They sell food toppers for dogs but they are wildly expensive for what they are. For the price of 1-2 of them you can just buy a roast chicken, shred it up, portion and freeze it as a food topper for weeks.

 

[mommykoko]

@godsfisherman84 I wanted to look this up out of curiosity. Royal Canin is the other. Report listed on Chewy

 

[servant10]

@simplyhis I started my great dane puppy on the same food you have, and he hated it, didn't want to eat much and had loose stools. I switched to Purina One large breed puppy and he did great! you may not be as open to Purina because it's cheaper compared to hills science, royal canin, victor, etc but it's a good food. they have lots of nutritionists working for them, and their food is quality and passes regulations. I was recommended by my vet.

I did end up switching for reasons unrelated to the food (vet wanted special food due to health) but I'm switching back now. He's also been on Royal Canin and was iffy about it but ultimately did well, and is currently on Holistic Select which I wouldn't recommend. Hills Science is a very popular choice for large/giant dogs so if you're going that way, I'd say it's the best choice. Victor also is highly rated so either is a good option.

My vet doesn't like Diamond food and I've heard many people have problems with it. I'm sure you know but avoid any fancy foods, stick to the brands that are vet recommended and have a large team of nutritionists and specialists working to create the diets. If you aren't sure I'd call your vet! they might want to check out your pup to eliminate any parasites or health problems related to the weight/appetite and they'll give you their recommendations.

 

[graceisgiven]

@simplyhis Anything WSAVA compliant, from Royal Canin, Hills or Purina. (If you're in US then those 3 plus Iam and Eukanuba)

 

[daveme7]

@simplyhis Keep your dog on puppy food. Also, weight gain is not important if he is maintaining a good body condition. Focus on feeling his ribs & back. If his hip bones are prominent, increase feed. Otherwise do not worry. That’s how you get an overweight dog

 

[amelia1234]

@simplyhis I feed my dog Open Farm. The ingredients list is great with it being sustainably sourced and the animals are humanly raised. Before that Ive fed her Wellness and Acana. I dont know why people always recommend Purina or Hills Science Diet when if you read the ingredients list is terrible. Lots of grains and the meat meal. There are some pet nutritionists on youtube that rate dog food brands like The Tattooed Dog Trainer or Rachel Fusaro if you want to check them out.

 

[christopherb]

@amelia1234

I dont know why people always recommend Purina or Hills Science Diet when if you read the ingredients list is terrible. Lots of grains and the meat meal.

Because people understand more about dog food than you do.

• The WSAVA brands (Hill's, Purina, Royal Canin, Iams, and Eukanuba) have their foods formulated by board-certified veterinary nutritionists and conduct feeding trials to ensure safety. Boutique brands are free to do this but choose to cut this corner intentionally. Their ingredients are instead chosen based on what sounds good in marketing, not what is good for your dog.
• Meat meal is just ground and partially dehydrated muscle meat. It's the same meat but you get more of it by weight. Brands that freely disparage "meat meal" and talk up their meat content weigh their meat before they dehydrate it, and since ingredients lists are done by weight, the extra water in the meat makes it appear higher up the ingredients list despite contributing no additional nutrition.
• Grains are not harmful to dogs, and in fact, the rise of grain-free kibbles promoted by these boutique brands is strongly associated (90% correlation) with lethal heart disease.
• "pet nutritionist" is not a protected job title and there are no qualifications to call yourself one. Meanwhile, "board certified veterinary nutritionist" is 8 years of schooling and intensive specialized board exams. Why the hell are you choosing to listen to the "pet nutritionist" instead???

 

[amelia1234]

@christopherb Im not an expert on pet nutrition and didnt claim
to be, but I personally dont want to feed my dog any food sold by Nestle, Mars, or Colgate-Palmolive. Although the the food is manufactured in the US, its not all sourced from the US. Hills Pet Nutrition also had a massive recall recently (2019) and vets pocket a profit from promoting the brand. Ok so board certified veterinary nutritionist conducted this trial but who funded it? These companies own a variety of their own veterinary practices. The FDA has even sent warning letters to Hills Science Diet for making drug claims without going through clinical trials. These companies will buy out raising brands in competition with them that have good ingredients and ethical practices. After you usually see a decline in the food quality. I really value a dog food brand that is transparent in their manufacturing and food sources. If theyre trying to hide it, theres a reason and its probably not a good one.

Im not against dogs eating grain either but I am against dog food having mostly grain and no meat.

Id honestly like to know your opinion on milk bones and pupperoni? What are the qualifications of these “other people” that know more then me too?

 

[christopherb]

@amelia1234 If you're genuinely interested in learning (I suspect you're not, which is why I'm not typing thousands of words for you explaining it piece by piece out of the benefit of the doubt) go read the standard AutoMod nutrition post on r/dogs and the nutrition wiki on r/puppy101. They cover pretty much all of the arguments you're parroting here, with data and sources, not just emotional marketing like the boutique brands use.

 

[amelia1234]

@christopherb Alright, I’ll give them a read. Next time I guess I’ll be able to claim that I know more about dog food then other people too

Edit: I do actually want to know if you feed your dog milkbones or pupperoni though.

 

[lisa613]

@simplyhis My akita has a lot of stomach issues with most food. Before we went frozen he did well on Nutrisource Highland Prairie.

 

[israelp]

@simplyhis I would try purina pro plan large breed puppy food. I’ve heard good things about their pro plan puppy line and purina pro plan is overall really great