So I have been feeding a food for the last several months that I LOVE!

It's a very high quality food, given 4.5 and 5 star ratings by dog food advisor.

Now I have puppies and I want to put them on the same brand of puppy food. It also has very high quality ingredients, but the calcium/phosphorus ratio is 1.6 : 1.

For those of you on here who are incredibly knowledgable. What do you think of this ratio for puppy food? The articles I've found suggest that 1.2 : 1 is ideal, but nothing I've found says at what ratio the risk for OCD and HD begin to increase.

Your thoughts please?

FWIW-Dog food advisor is one person's idea about dog food. it's not the dog food bible that so many folks think it is.

I found this post interesting.

Where do you go to read about dog foods? For example; which site tells you which foods were recalled and what the OP asked? Is there a site, not a bible but 1 with good information?

Believe it or not, there is a pretty passionate food following on one of the pet boards.... www.lab-retriever.net

I have seen every recall listed immediately, folks love to hash out percentages, discuss ingredients, more than most will ever care to know about their dog food. There is even a group that know ALOT about raw.

If I wanted the nitty gritty, I would go there.

I think you're a lot better off talking to dog professionals/breeders if you want the 'nitty gritty' about feeding.

How food relates to breeding populations and multiple generations of dogs, as well as health, conditioning and growth, is what's important to dog people.

Not just the trendy ingredients and brands, the softness of the coat, and the firmness of stools - these are the concerns of people on pet forums.

In answer to the original question, I've weaned puppies onto (and raised to adulthood on)a grain-free puppy food that has listed:

Calcium (min./max.)1.5 % / 1.7 %
Phosphorus (min./max.) 1.2 % / 1.4 %

Pups grew up with no adverse events or effects.

This was MY experience; much may depend on bloodlines and/or individual patterns of growth and metabolism.

The puppy food I'm currently using is listed at:
Calcium (Ca) (Min)1.1%
Phosphorus (P) (Min)0.8%

Again, no problems with pups grown out on this food either.

Call the dog food company you're feeding and ask to speak to their veterinarian on staff- tell them you have a question about ratios in relation to puppy growth. They will gladly discuss this with you and let you know what is or isn't appropriate for our large breed dogs & give you the numbers you should be looding for. I've found them to be very helpful & ultimately possess the most knowledge regarding this subject.

Really? Most breeders I know can say "I know what works for my dogs" but don't hash the details. They feed Pro Plan, Royal Canin, what not... not saying they are bad foods, but it's like "this is what I feed, end of story". There are breeders on that board and some are actually really GOOD breeders. None of them are offering advice on food. I think a passionate dog person with one pet sometimes has the time to dig into the details of recalls, ingredients, percentages when we are all in our kennels cleaning or at dog shows.

So don't be so high on your horse to dismiss a pet board so quick. I can tell you another thing, they aren't as nasty over there as they are here. I was responding to the person who was asking about where you can find out about recalls etc. And those people KNOW the minute it comes out. I rarely see that over here.

If you want accurate food advice consult with a certified pet nutritionist not a pet forum. I agree that pet people have different concerns than breeders. If breeders make a feeding mistake the future well being of the pups that they produce can be compromised. There is a lot of misinformation on the forum mentioned and the physiological explanations/rationalizations are over simplified and sometimes laughable. Contact your pet food manufacturer and ask if they have a certified nutritionist on staff but don't assume they all do, it's surprising that many do not. The larger companies that do research and have time trusted foods are a safe bet.

If you want instant notification for recalls, sign up for them. Truth about pet foods.com is usually on top of the recalls but I caution that other info found there is often not the truth and emotionally driven (due to lack of science knowledge on Susan Thixton's part). Her heart is in the right place but she's going about it wrong.

To get recalls sent to your email, so you will know right away like the pet forum people:

http://www.fda.gov/safety/recalls/default.htm