Diet For Big Puppy

[Karen V]

I have a nearly 12 week old wolfhound cross bull mastiff (with a bit of dane looks like) and he is strong healthy & happy. I've been trying him on some top commercial dry kibbles for puppies (as well as fresh meat, chicken mince & bones, a few veggies), but am wondering if there is a possible problem with too high a protein for his growth pattern. Any big dog breeders out there with suggestions for his diet (and how much to feed him too) I would greatly appreciate their advice.

Thanks, Karen V

[MyMontage]

Hi Karen

I am in no way an expert but I have an Old English Sheepdog Puppy (just turning 12 weeks tomorrow) and I am feeding him 1 cup of advance puppy biscuits in the morning, with a wheetbix and some puppy milk all mixed together, and for an evening meal he gets another cup of the biscuits plus some pedigree puppy food. He also gets 1 cup of biscuits (maybe a little less) in his treat ball for when we go to work. I am going to start to cook chicken mince mixed with vegetables, and rice, and probably include a fish oil tablet in there with some extra supplements to replace the tinned food. I will always keep on with the biscuits.

I was told by my breeder that this was OK, and that with a big dog, you dont want him to grow too fast as it could cause damage to their bones etc. Also not to run them around too much as well.

My dog seems fine with this amount of food, he is 10kg's!! and not to mention totally adorable.

Julia

[KitKat]

As to the protein issue...a lot of the problems with it is quality not quantity and balancing the nutrients etc the pup requires thru it's growth periods. As long as it's a high quality large/giant breed puppy food then you should be fine.

If you can make sure you get barf/raw correct then that is also a good way to go - but as an example of protein for pups barf/raw by it's nature is high protein but balanced with everything else a growing pup needs (if done correctly).

If you feel your pup can do better on something else, eg different brand of kibble, or trying barf/raw - then go for it Just make sure you stick to quality large/giant breed kibbles or the correct ratio in regards to barf/raw (eg Dr Billinghursts book- grow your pup with bones, or soemthing along those lines)

[Akitaowner]

i used advance puppy dehydrate for a little bit and then mixed in some advance LARGE BREED puppy kibble - my boy still has this for brekkie and bones for dinner. my breeder told me to leave him on a bit of the puppy kibble as its good for their coat

i also prefered feeding a few small meals until he was about 6 months - as they need to eat so much but i was worried about bloat in my breed.

[Nekhbet]

For a dog of that size I would stick to two meals a day for life - keeps them full and they dont gorge themselves once a day with the risk of bloat. I'm just paranoid ... plus I cant live on one meal a day so I dont expect a giant dog to!

From the sounds of it you are doing well. Yes they will grow really quickly, get acne, go gangly, then chunky, then weird ... Stick to Large/Giant greed puppy foods. As for adding meat give him protein he has to work for like lamb flaps, chicken necks etc and add some well cooked veges to it. I add a bit of well cooked rice in those fresh meals to keep the dog fuller a little longer and bulk out the meal. Please do not add heaps of calcium you CAN overdo it and cause major structural problems. There should be enough in the kibble if it makes up a reasonable propertion of the diet.

As long as your dog is not fat, you can feel/just see the ribs you are doing OK. The puppy fat will melt off slowly, but remember more importantly limit the exercise and NO stairs/climbing/rough play as this can be a bigger problem then diet.