Acana large breed puppy?

[baibow]

Hi all, I am new to this site....and new to dobies too in fact. :) My husband and I have had bassets for the last nearly 8 years and when we lost our female, Bailee, unexpectedly the week before Christmas we decided to go ahead and get the dobie puppy we had been planning to look at before she had gotten sick. (we had been considering a dobie for a while and my husband grew up with dobes). Anyhow, we have an 11 week old girl named Jasper and she has quickly taken up our hearts. My question is, do any of you feed your pups Acana large breed puppy formula? She seems very gassy :eek: and oh my goodness it can take your breath away. I'm wondering if this food doesn't agree with her or if this is normal for dobermans? Thanks everyone!

Nathalie and smelly Jasper.

[OliveOil]

Hi there and welcome to the hub :)
I know that Dobies can have allergies to things in some dog foods and I don't know anything about Acana but my dobie has gas too occasionally. I've noticed it's worse when we've given her something new or when she's nervous about something.
I think since she's having excess gas you may want to try something different?

[baibow]

Thanks OliveOil! I noticed the first day when we brought her home that she had emitted some foul smells a couple of times but I figured it must have been an 'off' day but it has been three weeks now and there is still the occasional whiff of unpleasantness. It isn't constant but definitely a few times a day. I used to feed my bassets Innova but was told that Acana is considered to be a better food than Innova so I thought I would try it for Jasper but I am wondering if I may need to consider another food. Unless Dobes are always gassy beings.

I tried to post a link to their site but I am unable to until I have some more posts in - so I thought I would copy and post the info here. (hope I am allowed to do that)

Acana Puppy Large Breed Dog Food Full Ingredients:

Chicken meal, steamed oats, fresh free-run chicken, peas, fresh deboned salmon
(source of DHA), brown rice, chicken fat (preserved with mixed tocopherols and
rosemary), chicken liver, fresh whole eggs, sun-cured alfalfa, salmon oil, pumpkin,
chicken cartilage (natural source of glucosamine and chondroitin), red delicious
apples, carrots, turnip greens, cranberries, Saskatoon berries, organic sea vegetables
(kelp, bladderwrack, dulse), burdock root, marshmallow root, juniper berries,
fenugreek, sweet fennel, angelica root, sea buckthorn, chicory root, stinging nettle, red
raspberry leaf, milk thistle, peppermint leaf, marigold

Acana Puppy Large Breed Dog Food Guaranteed Analysis:
Protein ……………………………….33 %
Fat ……………………………………15 %
Fiber ……………………………….. 3.5 %
Calcium ……………………………. 1.2 %
Phosphorus ……………………….. 1.1 %

Omega-6…………………………… 2.5 %
Omega-3 ………………………….. 0.4 %
Glucosamine ………………..800 mg/kg
Chondroitin …………………..500 mg/kg
Carbohydrate ………………………29 %

[Big Dogs]

Baibow there are quite a few great dog foods out there a change in water could cause the gas also anything that is new in the way of food or drink could cause it. We use pro kennel from Buckeye dog food but like I said there is tons of great dog food out there I would use a lower protein dog food though some where around the 26% range because these guys grow really fast and it could cause you problems latter on in life and sometimes it can cause growing pains. Another thing we will do as part of our feeding schedule is using cottage cheese about a table spoon full when feeding as this will help them absorb the nutritional value of the food and calm there stomach also. Hope this is helpful and welcome.

[baibow]

Thanks Big Dogs! I'm not sure if Buckeye is available here but I will take a look, at the least I will see if there is another quality brand availble with lower protein.
I have a question regarding your comment about them growing fast....is the lower protein to help protect against too rapid of growth as well?
Thanks. Nathalie

[Sue J]

Welcome to the hub baibow. I've never used that type of food, but not all dobes are gassy. Jett isn't usually very gassy, usually we know an upset stomach is coming along if she gets gassy. I agree with Big Dogs...33% protein is high. For our adults, our feed is 26%protein, 20% fat for winter. Then we cut back some on both in milder weather. Always watching each dog to make sure they are doing well and adjust accordingly. Of course you will have to find just the right food for Jasper as different dogs respond differently to certain feeds/amts. imho. Good luck and keep us posted on Jasper. We like pics too as soon as you can post them.

[Big Dogs]

Baibow yes the lower protein is supposed to help with there growth rate which is a problem in large breeds. There is a theory out there that rapid growth with high protein may contribute to wobbler syndrome which is a narrowing of the channels in the spinal cord which presses on the nerves creating instability.

[baibow]

There is a theory out there that rapid growth with high protein may contribute to wobbler syndrome which is a narrowing of the channels in the spinal cord which presses on the nerves creating instability.

Oh wow! I did not know that I truly appreciate you telling me. Wobblers is definitely something I want to try and protect against. As I mentioned above we used to have bassets up intil now. We had a male and a female but wound up losing the male at a young age (4) because he had a ruptured disc in spine (common in bassets and came on very suddenly). It was very traumatic and he was paralyzed from the mid chest down. Unfortunately we were unable to have the surgery performed on him and had to let him go. That is definitely not something I ever want to go through again!
Thanks everyone for your responses! I'll try and get some pics posted later this week. She is growing so fast. And I have to say - we are amazed at a dog with legs. It is a new experience for us.

[Sue J]

"we are amazed at a dog with legs."-- Got a laugh out of that. I guess it would be an experience for you all after having bassets. Along those lines, what about the ears :) :). Are you gonna leave Jasper's natural?

[OliveOil]

I love the ears natural :) That's one of my favorite things to do is rub and play with Olive's ears.
Just a side note, haha

[dobeberfrau]

Welcome Baibow,
I fed Phoebe the exact same food until she was about 6 or 7 months and had the EXACT same problem....she would clear a room it was really bad at times I though I'd throw up myself! We switched her to the Acana Triple Fish Blend and she is fine on it...she still has gas but not as offensive as it was.

[baibow]

[QUOTE=Sue J;7548 Are you gonna leave Jasper's natural?[/QUOTE]

Yes we are actually. We had considered having them cropped for a while and we do think that it looks beautiful but she is going to be a companion dog - we won't be showing her so we decided there was no need to crop them. Now, the longer we have her the more we love the floppy ears. I melt just about everytime she sits down looking up at me with her ears drooping back all loose and dangly. It is irresistable. :p I can't help but laugh and pet her.

I have to say she has been such a joy so far. Having lost Bailee just before Christmas was so very hard and I was a little hesitant about getting a new dog so soon not to mention such a different breed but she has been wonderful. Now I say to myself "Where have doberman's been all of my life?!" :D I love bassets and they have their own unique qualities that I love and who knows we may even get another again one day but at the same time we are completely in love with Jasper.

[My Mateese]

Baibow yes the lower protein is supposed to help with there growth rate which is a problem in large breeds. There is a theory out there that rapid growth with high protein may contribute to wobbler syndrome which is a narrowing of the channels in the spinal cord which presses on the nerves creating instability.

I have heard this before too. Also the cottage cheese.