Picked up a 5 month old redbone male 3 weeks ago. the owner said he'd fed him diamonds performance & purina beneful ( with the vegetables on the bag. i bought some of the beneful & some diamonds puppy food & blended them. the pup would eat around the diamonds & eat the purina 1st but would eventually eat it all. i got some samples of the diamonds large breed puppy food & he scarfed it right down so i bought some of it & blended it with the beneful & eventually fazed out the purina. now he seems pretty unimpressed with the diamonds. he will eventually eat it but is not to thrilled with it. today i added some leftover rice ( he never gets people food unless he snatches it off of the kitchen counter ) & he ate right down. he's been doing fine since arriving here. he's gained 10 lbs in 3 weeks. i do not want to set him back by not getting him the proper diet he needs. should i go back to blending in the purina or might he finally accept the diamonds. i haven't had any dogs for quite awhile & the choices in dogfoods sre mind-boggling.

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Rober,
I would like to congratulate u on getting a pup. But, i have always seen that a dog will eat what it gets, but just like humans we seem to get tired of our food.... but we do have one advantage, we go to work and make enough money to feed us and the dog, so i would not be worried about the dog being unenthusiastic, if the dog is worth its salt, it will soon live to hunt, not be picky about food. And about the Diamond, I have PERSONALLY raised 4 dogs on this, like my GOLDEN RETRIEVER when i was 7 or 8... he turned out to have the best build of any golden retriever in south the area, he lived to 7 years old until he was hit by a dump truck.... his bones were as strong as any and was running like a horse every day. My parents also have a mutt that was raised on it and is now 14 years old, only has 3 legs now and still goes and runs the property EVERY DAY like he has done for 14 years now.

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Blue Lantern Kennels
We know that Papers don't hunt!!

he is growing like a weed. his coat has a good sheen & he is definitely energetic. he is also quick to learn. i think he'll do just fine in the field. the guy i got him from has a herd of black & tans & this guy was running with them. i'll keep him on the diamonds for now. it's funny that adding a 1/8 cup of rice to the mix really got his interest up again.

well the pup is still not eating the diamonds. i was at costco today & checked their house brand ( kirkland ) & it had all of the right ingredients so i bought a bag. the pup loves it. i'll mix the diamonds with it 50/50 til it's gone. i'm not knocking the diamonds. i know it's popular for a reason, but the best food in the world won't do him any good if he won't eat it. i might try some of the adult diamonds when gets older. right now he's growing like a weed, his coat looks good, & energy is definitely what you'd expect from a pup & that's where i want to keep him. i think i really lucked out when i found this dog. he is bright, quick to learn, & has a nose that might keep up with a bloodhound.

I feed my dogs the Kirkland lamb and rice and swear by it. It's a great feed and is inexpensive.

Something the vets and dog food people won't tell you is that large breed puppy food is, intact, NOT good for a puppy. It stunts growth. The beat food hands down is Taste of the Wild. They have 4 different formulas, but all of them are for all ages. I have used the high prairie formula (yellow bag) for the past 5 years, as well as mixing in a raw diet from time to time. I have nothing bad to say about the food. It has no additives or the crud they use as fillers in other foods. the start of a great athlete is good internal health. What you feed does matter, so if you want a top shelf animal, give it the best. Food isn't just to fill you up, its to ensure proper growth, development and nutrition. You get out of an animal what you put in.

i'm still feeding him a 50/50 mix of diamonds large breed PUPPY food & kirkland large breed PUPPY food so as to use up the diamonds. he really likes the kirkland. i've read the ingredients on the diamond, kirkland, tastes of the wild, purina, & several other puppy foods. kirkland has everything he needs for good growth plus the right omega oils. on paper it's as good as any & better than a lot of others. as far as the pup, he's acting just as a puppy should, his coat has a sheen, & in the 30 days i've had him he's gained 12 lbs. he also got a thumbs up at his 1st check-up at the vet yesterday. i stand by what i said earlier. i truly lucked out when i found this pup. he's going to be a good hound.

He turned out to have the best build of any golden retriever in south the area, he lived to 7 years old until he was hit by a dump truck.... his bones were as strong as any and was running like a horse every day...

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pasadena boot camp

try to stay away from corn,blue buffalo is the best dog food but high

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Frog

Black Gold

i have been feeding my 5 month old walker diamond extreme atlete and he loves it,, his coat is shiny and has plenty of energy and good conformation on the bench.. since i been feedin that i swear he grows everyday i wont feed nothin else since i tried this

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HOME OF A BLUE DOG and a WALKER
PR KATI'S MUDDY RIVER PRINCESS
PR HIGH VOLTAGE HITMAN

Retriver high pro in the blue bag !!!! Nice built and nice shiny coat

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HOME OF VAUGHT'S SMOKE A LITTLE SMOKE IF IT AIN'T BLACK ITS WACK

1. Check the label to be sure the food is complete as far as meeting the nutritional requirements of the dog.
2. Check to see that there aren't any ingredients you think you wouldn't want to feed your dog. Grains are not necessarily bad but you need to be careful with corn as some of it is from other countries and has been spoiled or contaminated causing dogs to become very sick. Get the food with the best sources of nutrition you are willing to afford (chicken vs chicken by-products vs "chicken digest" whatever that is - they won't give you a straight answer on that)
3. Other people's experiences with particular foods can be very helpful so lean toward the foods people have had good success with but as you can see from other posts not everyone agrees on the same food.
4. Check your dog. If it has a shiny coat and plenty of interest in everything the food you are giving it is probably fine for that dog. Not every dog can eat the same food and have the same results. Some have reactions to certain ingredients which causes rashes, foot chewing, gunked up ears, dull coats and other problems. Some will have to eat a lot more of one food but do well with less of another food. If it works for your dog and is a good food keep using it.

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Do some research on canine hip displasia [ CHD ] and canine osteochrondritis. http://cal.vet.upenn.edu/projects/saort ... 84mast.htm

THESE TWO conditions are the reasons for feeding large breed puppies [ yup, coonhounds ] *appropriate* large-breed puppy food for the first 9 months or so.

In a nutshell, the idea is to keep the puppy on the lean side during growth in the first 9 months. This allows for the bones to and cartilage to grow at a normal, controled rate. If your puppy is kept on the lean side for the first year, it will still attain it's genetic maximum size, but it will do so over a longer period of time, which is key.

Many studies have shown that large breed pups that were fed a high calorie diet and that attained their maximum size earlier, were more prone to developing CHD even if it was last seen 2 or 3 generations back in the ped.


* Feed the best quality large breed puppy food that you can afford.
* Limit the caloric intake to keep the pup lean.
* Appropriate large breed puppy food has less calcium, as puppies metabolism does not self limit calcium uptake, as occurs with adult metabolism. Excess calcium uptake promotes bone growth.....not good as discussed.
* Limit strenous exercise, no extended periods running, roading, jumping or falls from height for the first year. Damage to bones / cartilage can occur.
* Do the research and learn the facts.