Question about dog food for 4 months old JA pup

edited December 2012 in Akita (秋田犬)
Can anyone please tell me what kind, brand of dog food did u feed ur JA after 4 months old? I heard some people said after 4 months old, JA should stop Puppy tagged food because its nutrition is too much for them, which may cause unhealthy physical development. I know that sounds kinda odd, but what do you recommend? Thk u in advance.

Comments

  • think about this: if mom and puppy was out in the wild, what is puppy going to eat when it stops mother's milk? Whatever mom is eating. Thus, I don't really think there is a real reason to keep a 4 month old pup on puppy food. I was feeding Tokles adult food by 4 months. I think it was Innova? He didn't really care for it and the grains made his poo kind of average, so I switched him to Taste of the Wild and he did really good.

    As far as what to feed... I think decided how much protein is a good start. Some will say that too much high protein kibble for a young puppy is bad because it can cause problems in the way the bones develop, and some will say otherwise. I'm not really at that point with Toki anymore, so I can't really say which way I believe, but I think if you went with a kibble that derived its protein from a high grade meat protein source, I think you would be doing good for your puppy. Lots of people feed their puppies RAW at that age and they do very well, so i guess make you're own judgement.
  • http://www.dogfoodadvisor.com/ is a good resource if you're looking for recommendations on what brands to try.

    Our pup's 5 months old now. Our breeder started our puppy on the same kibble as the mommy did, so we never even tried puppy kibble.
    When she came home at 8 weeks old, we started introducing raw dehydrated and goat milk to her diet.
    When she started puppy class at 10 weeks old, she is mostly fed raw dehydrated in a bowl and we reserved kibble for training sessions or stuffed toys.
    When she was 3 months old, we started introducing raw frozen to her diet. Raw frozen is much cheaper than raw dehydrated.

    We rotate kibble brands for both dogs (senior shiba & JA puppy) whenever they finish a bag. We only feed grain-free kibble. I usually keep to brands that have protein levels around 25% b/c closer to 40% causes soft stool in puppy (no issue w/ older dog) I'm also a strong advocate of exposing puppy to as many different kinds of protein sources early on so they don't develop an intolerance or allergy to a certain kind of protein later on. Let me know if there are specific brands you're interested in trying on your 4 month old.

    Cheers!

  • I fed my momma dog puppy food while she was pregnant and nursing, but she and the puppies (6.5 weeks old) are now transitioning to adult kibble from the same brand. They'll be on adult food completely by the time they go to their new homes, and the owner can then transition to whatever brand they choose to use.
  • Thanks, u guys r awesome! =)
  • Sorry, no. Please read this article: http://www.lgd.org/library/Optimal feeding of large breed puppies.pdf

    I would consider an Akita a large breed puppy, and feed him as such. Feed a puppy diet specifically for large breeds and keep him lean. Do not feed adult food, and do not feed a food that claims to be 'for all life stages'.

    Excessive calories and inappropriate amounts of calcium have both been shown to negatively influence optimal skeletal development in puppies. Protein content is not the problem.
  • @TeamLaika what would be an appropriate calcium content for a large breed puppy?

    For example,I looked at Orijin's website. The adult 6 fish has 1.4-1.6% but the large breed puppy has up to 1.7%.
    Maybe I am misunderstanding, but sounds like too much calcium is detrimental to bone growth, and judging calcium in Orijin products alone, it seems like the adult 6 Fish would be better instead of the large breed puppy. From the quick internet research I just did, sounds like 3% calcium and higher is extremely bad.
  • We recommend switching to adult dog food. We feed raw, but some owners of our puppies decided to feed kibble so our recommendation is Taste of the wild salmon (there is no puppy variant over here)
  • Totw now has a puppy kibble.
  • I know, but not in this part of the world :-) and we wouldn't use it even if we had it over here, it is not necessary or recommended to feed the extra protein or calories.
    For me - of course, I could be wrong, puppy food and all the other types of special food are designed to respond to the demand but don't make a real difference.
  • True I see no change in the ingredients in their other food so maybe they just made the puppy kibble for people who are unsure on feeding all life stage dog food..

    I feed raw diet so when I get my Hokkaido pup or whatever breed I get it'll be getting raw diet too coarse meals appropriate for a puppy size wise.. Coarse I'd keep bone balance don't want to over due it on things.

    I never owned a large breed so not too sure on nutrition wise on kibble dogs need be on.. I know you want the pup to grow steadily and not fast.
  • edited December 2012
    When feeding large-breed puppies, look for a diet close to the following profile:
    Fat 12%
    Calcium ~1%
    Calories 300-400 kcal/cup
    Ca:Phos ratio of 1.2

    As mentioned above, the protein content is not implicated in the development of orthopedic disease, but it is difficult to find a high protein kibble that does not have excess calcium or high kcal/cup.

    Always measure a large puppy's meals per day and feed an amount to maintain a body condition score of 4/9 (do NOT allow them to 'free feed'). I'd keep an Akita on the large breed puppy diet for 1 year. Extra large breeds like Great Danes or Mastiffs, I might extend that to 18 months.

    Here are some references:
    1. Nap, et al. Growth and skeletal development in Great Dane pups fed different levels of protein intake. J Nutr 1991; 121:S107-S113.

    2. Hedhammer, et al. Over nutrition and skeletal disease: an experimental study in growing Great Dane dogs. Cornell Vet 1974; 64:1-159.

    3. Lavelle. The effect of overfeeding of a balanced complete commercial diet to a group of growing Great Danes. In: Nutrition of the dog and cat. Burger and Rivers (eds). Cambridge Univ Press, 1989:303-316.

    4. Hazewinkel, et al. Influences of chronic calcium excess on the skeletal development of growing Great Danes, J Am Anim Hosp Assoc 1985; 21:377-391.

    5. Goedegebuure, Hazewinkel. Morphological findings in young dogs chronically fed a diet containing excess calcium. Vet Pathol 1986; 23:594-605.

    6. Hazewinkel, et al. Calcium metabolism in Great Dane dogs fed diets with various calcium and phosphorus levels. J Nutr 1991; 121:S99-S106.
  • I have been follow this thread since I am hoping to get my puppy in March. I checked dog food adviser and was surprised to find that the Kirkland brands were rated 4 star. Easy to get here at Costco and i guess even easier to get in a Canadian Costco. Has anyone ever tried the Kirkland Nature’s Domain and would that kibble be OK to feed my Hokkaido pup??
  • I have tried it. But the pups like earth born much better. I get it delivered from an online shop.
  • @KyleLin, I figured out our pups are half sisters, they share Kita as the sire. Meichan was at the vet today for her spay surgery, it's the first time she's been back since she was 4 months old for her rabies vaccine.

    Both the nurse and vet said Meichan is a very good weight despite being on the small end for an Akita (32.3# at 5.5 months). The vet nurse said she should be fed only twice a day starting at 4 months, and be off puppy kibble and on adult kibble by now. I had Meichan eating 3x a day, I'll start transitioning to 2x going forward.

    Now this is completely opposite input from @TeamLaika, so the best thing is probably to check w/ the vet who has physically examined your pup for advice.
  • I will check it out but am a bit limited here in Japan. I would love to be able to shop online in the States without paying huge amounts for shipping. Canada may be better but they are so strict with duties ect i am not sure.
  • @ttddinh WOW! A 28 pound of Earth Born puppy vantage in the States is around $45. I just saw a 6kg (2.7lbs) here advertised as 60% off for $39!!!
    I think I might have to stick with the Nature's Domain while in Japan.
  • edited December 2012
    @rikumom, I took my pup to the vet last weekend for rabies as she just turned 4 months, the vet still recommends me using puppy food until 10 months at least. So, I guess I'll stick with the same puppy food I've been giving her for another couple months or a few depending on how she will be doing with that. She's currently having "Kirkland SuperPremium Puppy" kibble, she likes it and does fine with her poop. I dont have much knowledge about dog food yet, I bought it since it has the AAFCO statement. BTW, how did u find out that our pups are related? ^_^
  • edited December 2012
    @KyleLin, I thought I saw one of the post mention your pup is out of Kenji's litter this year [siblings would be at the Akiho fall picnic], Kita is the sire no? Was in your introduction
  • Oh yeah, I did mention that. I forgot. :)
  • That Kita, he gets around, hehehe
  • Wow that's crazy xpensive
  • @ttddinh, what do u mean?
  • Sorry didn't mean to derail the thread. I was commenting on @jeffnkazuko comments
  • Oh no problem at all. :)
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