joelle Posted June 26, 2007 Share Posted June 26, 2007 Hi all, I need your opinions / advice please. I was told by my vet, puppy trainer and now obedience trainer that I should not feed my dog a puppy food as this will generate faster growth which in turn is not good for a large breed pup. I have now switched to adult food but others have said she should be on puppy formula until 18 months of age. All advice appreciated Thanks Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
imouttahere Posted June 26, 2007 Share Posted June 26, 2007 I use Science Diet Large Breed Puppy. It is fantastic and I totally recommend it Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
joelle Posted June 26, 2007 Author Share Posted June 26, 2007 I use Science Diet Large Breed Puppy. It is fantastic and I totally recommend it Thanks :D My vet etc etc told me the puppy food generated growth too quick as it had too much calcium, protein etc for the large breed dogs???? Im totally confused Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Spotted Devil Posted June 26, 2007 Share Posted June 26, 2007 I feed Advance Large Breed Puppy - it has less calories so as not to encourage rapid growth. He will be eating this until 18 months - 2 years of age and is looking fabulous on it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
imouttahere Posted June 26, 2007 Share Posted June 26, 2007 I use Science Diet Large Breed Puppy. It is fantastic and I totally recommend it Thanks :D My vet etc etc told me the puppy food generated growth too quick as it had too much calcium, protein etc for the large breed dogs???? Im totally confused Norwest Sydney Animal Hospital told me it DOES NOT encourage fast growth and actually contains ingredients or whatever to prevent fast growth from happening. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rain Posted June 26, 2007 Share Posted June 26, 2007 Hi all, I need your opinions / advice please. I was told by my vet, puppy trainer and now obedience trainer that I should not feed my dog a puppy food as this will generate faster growth which in turn is not good for a large breed pup. I have now switched to adult food but others have said she should be on puppy formula until 18 months of age. All advice appreciated Thanks I have also been told this by a number of registered breeders, what did your breeder tell you to do? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Spotted Devil Posted June 26, 2007 Share Posted June 26, 2007 (edited) I use Science Diet Large Breed Puppy. It is fantastic and I totally recommend it Thanks :D My vet etc etc told me the puppy food generated growth too quick as it had too much calcium, protein etc for the large breed dogs???? Im totally confused Well....a large breed puppy food should have the right quantities of calcium, phosphorus and protein - the calcium-phosphorus ratio is critical and the energy supplied by the food is also important. What breed of dog do you have? Edited June 26, 2007 by The Spotted Devil Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Spotted Devil Posted June 26, 2007 Share Posted June 26, 2007 I use Science Diet Large Breed Puppy. It is fantastic and I totally recommend it Thanks :D My vet etc etc told me the puppy food generated growth too quick as it had too much calcium, protein etc for the large breed dogs???? Im totally confused Norwest Sydney Animal Hospital told me it DOES NOT encourage fast growth and actually contains ingredients or whatever to prevent fast growth from happening. Exactly right, IMO, as long as you are feeding a large breed puppy food rather than regular puppy food (which you are ) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
joelle Posted June 26, 2007 Author Share Posted June 26, 2007 Well....a large breed puppy food should have the right quantities of calcium, phosphorus and protein - the calcium-phosphorus ratio is critical and the energy supplied by the food is also important. What breed of dog do you have? i would have thought so too, you would think if it is made for large breed pups, it would be specially formulated for them???' Sorry, should have mentioned, I dont have a breeder, she is a rescue x breed. To date the following breeds have been mentioned as possibilities, mastiff, APBT, great dane, labrador, staffy, boxer. The staffy bit was feasible when small but now????? She is 25 kg now so even if she doesnt grow any more, (impossible at 6 m I know ) she is still large. Keep advice opinions coming, all appreciated, thank you Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
joelle Posted June 26, 2007 Author Share Posted June 26, 2007 Exactly right, IMO, as long as you are feeding a large breed puppy food rather than regular puppy food (which you are ) Im not though :D I was giving her 'advance' large breed puppy, but I just swapped this weekend onto advance LARGE ADULT after other advice from trainers etc I paid $80 for it aaagh what do you recommend, buy the puppy food again Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ShesaLikeableBiBear Posted June 26, 2007 Share Posted June 26, 2007 You have a mixed breed so its harder to advise the correct food as you are not certain as to which breed your pup will throw to. As a general guide Large Breed Puppy is recommended for breeds that will achieve an adult weight of over 22kgs. If that is the case with your puupy, which it appears to be, then you should feed this formula. If your pup is going to be a Large Breed rather than a Giant Breed then it is generally recommended that you feed LB until they are 12-15 months, whereas a Giant would be 15-18 months. Giants are Great Danes, Newfies, Saints, Mastiffs etc These formulas are specifically designed so that these breeds dont grow too quickly thus putting on more stress on their joints. Umm dont think your vet has advised you correctly. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kendall Posted June 26, 2007 Share Posted June 26, 2007 Agree with what everyone here has said - 'large breed puppy' is what your pup should be on - it has different levels of certain things (calcium, etc) so that the pup grows at a slow steady pace. It is designed for pups of large breeds. Adult food has different levels again so is probably not the best for a growing pup?? I don't know what to do with the 'large breed adult' food you already have - maybe get some of the 'large breed puppy' and mix it in?? Donate it to a shelter (if you can afford to)?? Maybe a more qualified person can advise - or speak to a vet (who knows about nutrtion of larger breeds) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
joelle Posted June 26, 2007 Author Share Posted June 26, 2007 Agree with what everyone here has said - 'large breed puppy' is what your pup should be on - it has different levels of certain things (calcium, etc) so that the pup grows at a slow steady pace. It is designed for pups of large breeds. Adult food has different levels again so is probably not the best for a growing pup?? I don't know what to do with the 'large breed adult' food you already have - maybe get some of the 'large breed puppy' and mix it in?? Donate it to a shelter (if you can afford to)?? Maybe a more qualified person can advise - or speak to a vet (who knows about nutrtion of larger breeds) I have a 3 yr old who can have this one. i was buying a medium bag of puppy and a medium bag of adult, but following vets advice, just bought one large bag af adult. So it wont go to waste, the 3 yr old will eat it. Thanks everyone Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cazzaritch Posted June 26, 2007 Share Posted June 26, 2007 I feed Advance Large Breed Puppy - it has less calories so as not to encourage rapid growth. He will be eating this until 18 months - 2 years of age and is looking fabulous on it. Is this the same as 'Advane Growth Large Breed'? Thats what I feed and they are thriving on it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Spotted Devil Posted June 26, 2007 Share Posted June 26, 2007 I feed Advance Large Breed Puppy - it has less calories so as not to encourage rapid growth. He will be eating this until 18 months - 2 years of age and is looking fabulous on it. Is this the same as 'Advane Growth Large Breed'? Thats what I feed and they are thriving on it. Yep...sorry! And for joelle....in general, the quickest growth rate is until about 5 months and then, if you double that, it's a fair approximation on what their fully grown weight will be. After that they really slow down - Zig puts on around a kilo a month and I barely notice him getting bigger any more. I keep him nice and lean and he gets a chicken neck each night for his bedtime treat Definitely get some large breed puppy food but remember to swap it over slowly...don't want yucky poos Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
joelle Posted June 26, 2007 Author Share Posted June 26, 2007 I feed Advance Large Breed Puppy - it has less calories so as not to encourage rapid growth. He will be eating this until 18 months - 2 years of age and is looking fabulous on it. Is this the same as 'Advane Growth Large Breed'? Thats what I feed and they are thriving on it. Yep...sorry! And for joelle....in general, the quickest growth rate is until about 5 months and then, if you double that, it's a fair approximation on what their fully grown weight will be. After that they really slow down - Zig puts on around a kilo a month and I barely notice him getting bigger any more. I keep him nice and lean and he gets a chicken neck each night for his bedtime treat Definitely get some large breed puppy food but remember to swap it over slowly...don't want yucky poos Thank you all, She was about 20 kilos at 20 weeks which is about 5 months so probably approx 40 kg fully grown? I'll run with that. Thanks heaps everyone Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Poodle wrangler Posted June 26, 2007 Share Posted June 26, 2007 I've heard it advised to feed large breeds adult food, too. I have a 6 month old standard poodle who's lean and weighs 20kg now. If you look at some of the supermarket dry puppy foods, they're very high in protein and fat, and not suitable for a large breed. Then again, when you look at the nutrition panel, the calcium-phosphorus levels really aren't very different. I'm hedging my bets by feeding about 50% mince, chicken frames/necks etc. and meaty bones, the rest dry puppy food with a lower protein level. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bloss344 Posted June 27, 2007 Share Posted June 27, 2007 In the past when there weren't Large Breed Puppy foods available it used to be suggested that LB puppies were put onto adult food at about 5 months. Now that the LB Puppy foods are readily available pups can stay on that. My vet said pretty much the same thing as the OP's vet, he actually told me not to buy the high powered dog foods like the ones they sell at the clinic. He's obviously not a fan of the commercial food, but also obviously not up to date with current knowledge and products. At least I don't have to worry about him trying to sell me a product every time I go there. There are some foods out there that are for all life stages but mostly they are marketed for specific stages. Large Breed puppy food should have lower calcium and phosphorus as well as protein and fat. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Akitaowner Posted June 27, 2007 Share Posted June 27, 2007 i feed advance large breed growth (pale blue/purpleish bag). My 2 get bones for dinner and kibble for brekkie. Both are still on the large breed growth as this is what was recommended y my breeder she has all hers on the growth as its keeps their coats better than adult. I may change Rogue to a light adult dry food if she continues to pile on weight - i have currently just cut her ration back which she doesnt like! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
centitout Posted July 1, 2007 Share Posted July 1, 2007 i raise my pups on bonnie puppy until 6 mths and then change over to adult.the pup i got from a breeder that was using nutro puppy had the worst legs and he is growing fast-65 cm at shoulder(7 mths) we feed minced chicken carcasses,wings and frames,lg bones once a week.funny enough,the pup with bad legs started to straighten up 4 weeks after being on adult food instead. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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