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Food Dilemma for my new pup... Help Needed

4K views 14 replies 11 participants last post by  SFKennels 
#1 ·
I started my pup on Purina Pro Plan Performance 30/20, the vet suggested that I should get the PPP Puppy food and mix the performance in until I get rid of it. Will the mixing of the two foods give my dog expectations to continue this in the long term? Both bags are the 37.5 lb bags... it's going to take a while to get rid of the Performance food. Another problem is that the recommended daily feeding amounts are different, I guess this is due to the calorie content. Any advice is greatly appreciated.
 
#2 ·
Did the vet give a reason for switching to puppy food? The Pro Plan Performance (now called Sport) is an all stages of life food. Unless the vet had a good reason, I think you are okay just feeding the Performance.
 
#5 · (Edited)
Did the vet give a reason for switching to puppy food?
He just said the puppy food was better for the pup and that the Sport is for a hard working dogs. I know the puppy food allows him to get a little more in quantity per serving, not sure if that is a reason. He said to go to an adult food at 10 months old. He is an avid lab owner and trainer, so I respect his input. Just curious about the mixing.
 
#4 ·
Please take this as just one man's opinion, i'm not a vet or an animal nutrition expert, but the 30/20 blends are designed for hard working adult dogs to help with energy levels and muscle recovery after intense work. The puppy forumlations are formulated differently to help keep the young pups from growing to fast and developing issues from this. My advice would be to mix 50/50 of the proplan and puppy food for 3-4 days, then do a 25/75 mix of pro plan and puppy food for 3 more and then switch just to puppy and bite the bullet on the remaining pro plan or maybe you know someone who would be willing to buy it from you.
 
#7 ·
I feed Pro Plan Performance "All Life Stages" to all of my dogs. I feed my pups starting at 4- 4.5 weeks, and I even feed it to my 14 year old. All do great on it ! If you have questions, call purina. They have a huge staff of Veternarians and Biologist. I have been a Pro Club Member for years. Don't forget to clip your weight circles!
 
#9 · (Edited)
A 30/20 mix is the same or better nutrition than a pup would get in most puppies blends, the only difference in Pro 30/20 and most puppy blends is calcium content. Just go and compare the bag side by side. The vet would be correct if you fed your adult dog a lower protein/fat food say 21/10 protein/fat, to tell you to change to a puppy blend, pups need better nutrition. But performance dogs are fed superior nutrition throughout their lives. Most breeders I know start and keep pups on adult 30/20 blends, and never have any issues.

However if you feel you need to make the change, vets/breeders recommend mixing foods, to prevent several problems that may happen should you switch directly from one to another (loose stool, constipation, vomiting, upset stomach etc.) It give the dogs digestive system time to adapt to the new food, sudden changes can be smelly and bad. ;) Switching foods can be a very big deal, even switching to different lines of the same manufacture. I'm always of the opinion if it ain't broke don't fix it. But then again dog food is it's own religion, with very few converts, so do what you feel is best for your dog and to each there own.
 
#10 ·
I asked this very question of Purina in a e-mail. Below is their reply.

"Thank you for contacting Nestlé Purina PetCare Company.

Congratulations on your soon-to-be new puppy! Based on the information you provided in your email, we would recommend that you feed your puppy our Purina(r) Pro Plan(r) brand Dog Food - Performance Formula - All Life Stages. Because this product is complete and balanced for maintenance for all life stages of dogs, you may feed it to your dog from the time it is a puppy throughout its entire life through adulthood.

Our Purina(r) Pro Plan(r) brand Dog Food - Performance Formula - All Life Stages is specially formulated for the nutritional needs of hardworking and highly active dogs. It is designed with a 30% protein: 20% fat ratio which supports increased endurance and lean muscle mass. This product also provides concentrated nutrition, which optimizes oxygen metabolism (VO2 MAX) so dogs burn fat more efficiently. Real chicken is the #1 ingredient. For additional information about our Purina(r) Pro Plan(r) brand Dog Food - Performance Formula - All Life Stages, we would recommend visiting our website, www.proplan.com.

We would recommend you utilize the feeding guidelines found on the product packaging to determine a starting point for feeding. We recommend monitoring your puppy's body condition, and adjusting the amount fed each day to ensure your puppy maintains a lean body conformation. When your puppy is not hunting or in preparation for hunting or trials, the amount fed may be less than during these times. For more information on the ideal body condition, please click on the link below.

http://www.purina.com/dog/weight-and-exercise/bodycondition.aspx

We hope you find this information helpful.

Again, thank you for visiting our website."
 
#12 ·
I asked this very question of Purina in a e-mail. Below is their reply.

"Thank you for contacting Nestlé Purina PetCare Company.

Congratulations on your soon-to-be new puppy! Based on the information you provided in your email, we would recommend that you feed your puppy our Purina(r) Pro Plan(r) brand Dog Food - Performance Formula - All Life Stages. Because this product is complete and balanced for maintenance for all life stages of dogs, you may feed it to your dog from the time it is a puppy throughout its entire life through adulthood.

Our Purina(r) Pro Plan(r) brand Dog Food - Performance Formula - All Life Stages is specially formulated for the nutritional needs of hardworking and highly active dogs. It is designed with a 30% protein: 20% fat ratio which supports increased endurance and lean muscle mass. This product also provides concentrated nutrition, which optimizes oxygen metabolism (VO2 MAX) so dogs burn fat more efficiently. Real chicken is the #1 ingredient. For additional information about our Purina(r) Pro Plan(r) brand Dog Food - Performance Formula - All Life Stages, we would recommend visiting our website, www.proplan.com.

We would recommend you utilize the feeding guidelines found on the product packaging to determine a starting point for feeding. We recommend monitoring your puppy's body condition, and adjusting the amount fed each day to ensure your puppy maintains a lean body conformation. When your puppy is not hunting or in preparation for hunting or trials, the amount fed may be less than during these times. For more information on the ideal body condition, please click on the link below.

http://www.purina.com/dog/weight-and-exercise/bodycondition.aspx

We hope you find this information helpful.

Again, thank you for visiting our website."
Damn, so I wasted my money on the puppy food. I should have came here first. :banghead:

Thanks!
 
#13 ·
PPP (Performance) is very close to Purina LARGE BREED puppy in it's ingredients and make-up. I put our litters onto PP Large Breed as it is easier to find up here for our puppy buyers than Performance, but once the pups are gone, should we keep a pup we transition the pup over to PPP as we feed everyone else that.
 
#14 ·
Has anyone ever had a dog not adjust well from the PP Large Breed Puppy to the PPP? My 9mo has had awful gas and infrequent loose stools since I switched to the 30/20. Nothing in his life has changed other than the food, same house, same crate, same work schedule/amount but he does not seem to agree with the 30/20. On my second bag of it, been on it for almost 2 months and the problem persists.
 
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