Doodle-Puppy food?

[Julie Kudron]

I have 4 month old Standard sized Goldendoodle. The breeder sent us home with a bag of Iams Smart Puppy, so that's what we've continued feeding him. He eats about 4 cups a day! I'm curious what food is best for him. I worry about his fast growth (He's already 35 pounds at 16 weeks). I know this is normal, but I have read about the correlation between fast growth and hip problems down the road.

What did you feed your puppy? Would you recommend it?

[Karen, Jasper and Jackdoodle]

The Doodle Kisses Food Group

The DK Recommended Brands List

[Laurie, Fudge, and Vern]

Both my dogs eat Fromm (Four Star Line) and love it. There have been tons of discussions on this subject and Karen pointed you in the right direction. Good luck!

[Amy and Lily]

I feed my dog Fromm too.  My fur kids do well on this food.

[Julie Kudron]

Thank yo so much for the info! So far we are loving being doodle parents!!!

[Lynn D.]

Echo eats Fromm's Four Star as well. It's good stuff.

When I picked up Echo he was also on the Iams Smart Puppy as well. I wish I would have waited awhile before making the transition to a different food. You may want to give your pup some time to acclimate before switching food.

[Coco Chanel and Cheryl]

I had to switch Coco's food when I first got her because of her health issues and the vet put her on Purina one. It was an easy transition because their tummies are so sensitive. We started on Blue but it was too much. Now at a year and 9 months she is on Taste of the Wild. She could not have been on the high protein food before this and I recommend asking the vet what to start with because they know about puppy tummy issues!!

[Karen, Jasper and Jackdoodle]

I would disagree with you on the protein issue. Several studies have shown that puppies require more protein per lb of body weight than adult dogs do, due to the fact that they are growing. Protein is the easiest macronutrient for dogs to digest. The Blue formula you tired may not have been the right one for your individual puppy, they are all different, but it's doubtful that the problem was too much protein.

I also would not ask the vet for food recommendations, because that's one area in which they have little to no training, and what information they do have about food is provided by the big dog food companies, Hill's and Purina. In the United States, there is no required nutrition curriculum in veterinary school.

[Ashley, Ronnie and Ruby]

When we got Ruby, her breeder had her on Purina One puppy food. When she came home, we continued to feed her that but she was not gaining weight. She was growing some but not very fast and gaining so little that the vet was concerned. We always thought we had a very calm puppy (which she was) but also she did not get the nutrition from the Purina that she needed. We switched her to Hill's large breed puppy. What a difference we saw right away. She had more energy (became a real puppy) and started to put on weight. She got excited for her meals. While she is a F1 standard goldendoodle, she is still about 42lbs at 7 months. We think that she is a slow growing dog and she may not get as big as some of her siblings but she is amazing and healthy which is the main thing. We do want to eventually switch to a more meat based food but she is doing well on the Hill's.