Go Back   Pet forum for dogs cats and humans - Pets.ca > Discussion Groups - mainly cats and dogs > Dog food forum

Reply
 
Thread Tools Display Modes
  #1  
Old November 29th, 2004, 08:42 AM
Writing4Fun's Avatar
Writing4Fun Writing4Fun is offline
Member
 
Join Date: Jul 2004
Location: Ontario, Canada
Posts: 2,421
Large Breed Puppy or Not?

When we first got Phoebe at 10wks old, our vet told us to feed her large breed puppy food because she would likely be over 50lbs when full grown. Well, here we are at almost 8mths of age, and she seems to be stagnating at 40lbs (hasn't put on any weight over a month). Will she continue growing at this point? Should I take her off the large breed puppy formula now (Ouch! I just bought an x-tra large bag of the stuff!)? We were told she's a Shepherd (obviously not King Shepherd! LOL!), Collie (Border Collie, perhaps?), Husky, Golden cross. (Groan! I never worried about these things with our previous dog, because I didn't have this site to get me thinking about 'em! ).
Reply With Quote
  #2  
Old November 29th, 2004, 09:05 AM
bluntman's Avatar
bluntman bluntman is offline
Senior Member
 
Join Date: Nov 2004
Location: Peterborough
Posts: 288
Here is a paragragh from the pitbull forums:1) I do NOT feed puppy foods, the main reason being they don’t need it. The main difference between a puppy and adult formula is the protein percentage and the supplementation. The protein comes from questionable sources, usually grain, and the supplementation doesn’t really help them grow. In some cases it can actually be detrimental. For the large breed dogs giving them too many supplements can cause growth problems, cause them to grow too fast, and it just isn’t necessary. Genetics will determine how big a dog will be, food will influence the over all health but not the end results of growth.

My pit was 2yrs old when I got my first large breed dog, a rotti\siberian husky, Buying 2 different dog foods was a pain for me and the dogs, so I only gave her puppy food for the first month, since then she has been on good quality adult dry food, She is happy and healthy at 6yrs now and has never had a health issue. You will not harm your dog giveing it a good quality adult food, It's up to you.
Reply With Quote
  #3  
Old November 29th, 2004, 10:17 AM
GsdDiamond's Avatar
GsdDiamond GsdDiamond is offline
Senior Member
 
Join Date: Jul 2004
Location: Winnipeg, MB
Posts: 768
Large breed puppy food is essential for the proper growth of a large breed puppy.
I also have a large breed puppy (GSD) and she is fed human grade puppy food. The only foods that contain garbage are the usual garbage dog food sold in supermarkets. For proper dog food, one must go to a store that specializes in animals, not people. If you feed your puppy garbage food, yes, you will experience uneven growth and possible health risks down the road.

Continue to feed your large breed puppy the food you're using, as their bodies need the protien to keep up with the bone growth. Monitor the amount of food you feed and adjust it accordingly so that the pup doesn't gain too much weight when it starts a growth spurt again, and it will if it's like my pup. She too went through a stage where it looked like she had reached her final size...but alas, she's growing again. If the pup is growing very slowly, you could mix in some adult food with the puppy food to slow the protien buildup. I also look at my container of dog food wondering why in heck I bought so much, then....4 cups of food a day later, I remember.
__________________
"Always be a first-rate version of yourself, instead of a second-rate version of somebody else." - Judy Garland
Reply With Quote
  #4  
Old November 29th, 2004, 12:59 PM
lilith_rizel's Avatar
lilith_rizel lilith_rizel is offline
Senior Contributor
 
Join Date: Sep 2004
Location: Fort Meade, Maryland
Posts: 1,659
I would stick with the large breed puppy food. I did however, take Cano aff from it a few months ago, because he was getting fat, and he ate the recommended amount, and was very active. Now we have him and lamb and rice formula, and it works great. Cano is also only 9 1/2 months and weighs 65.5 pounds!! So I don't think he needs to put on more weight. Hid figure is looking like it should.

But being that your dog is only 40 pounds still, I would keep her/ him on for atleast a full year. I know how expensive the large breed puppy stuff is. But it is good for them.
__________________
"Every beginning is some other beginning's end" Closing Time- Semisonic
Reply With Quote
  #5  
Old November 29th, 2004, 01:03 PM
lilith_rizel's Avatar
lilith_rizel lilith_rizel is offline
Senior Contributor
 
Join Date: Sep 2004
Location: Fort Meade, Maryland
Posts: 1,659
Yep, big dogs eat ALOT!!!! Cano goes through a 40 pound bag each month!!! We also keep it in a rubbermaid container, well........... atleast as much as se can fit in it. I am just so happy we found a place that sells the food cheap, and it is human grade food!!!
__________________
"Every beginning is some other beginning's end" Closing Time- Semisonic
Reply With Quote
  #6  
Old November 29th, 2004, 01:10 PM
mastifflover's Avatar
mastifflover mastifflover is offline
Senior Contributor
 
Join Date: May 2004
Location: Toronto
Posts: 4,007
Giant breeds are the only ones from everything that I have gathered after doing lots of research that do not get puppy food after 3-4 months of age. Smaller breeds need the puppy food and all the extra nutrients but with giant breeds it makes them grow to fast and their joints don't fuse properly and their bones are not dense enough to carry their weight (130 lbs to 230lbs)and this is how you end up with so many hip and knee and joint problems that and heredity. Smaller breeds do not grow as quickly so they should stay on puppy food tll a year old. The only breeds that I would say sort of fall in between these groups are GSD and other breeds known to have hip and joint problems. That is where I might stop puppy food at 6-7 months that is my opinion and I am not an expert by any means but these breeds I would speak to a reputable breeder about how long they have their pups on puppy food. Also lamb and rice is much more fattening then chicken and rice. I go through about 70 pounds a month.
__________________
Robin
A dog has so many friends because they wag their tails not their tongues.
R.I.P. Buddy 2002-2008 The best Mastiff ever.
Now owned by Clark the Crazy American Bulldog
Reply With Quote
  #7  
Old November 29th, 2004, 01:15 PM
LL1 LL1 is offline
Senior Contributor
 
Join Date: Sep 2004
Posts: 1,326
I would not use puppy food for a GSD, and if you do I would definitely stop using it by the age of 6 months.
Reply With Quote
Reply

Thread Tools
Display Modes

Posting Rules
You may not post new threads
You may not post replies
You may not post attachments
You may not edit your posts

BB code is On
Smilies are On
[IMG] code is On
HTML code is Off


Forum Terms of Use

  • All Bulletin Board Posts are for personal/non-commercial use only.
  • Self-promotion and/or promotion in general is prohibited.
  • Debate is healthy but profane and deliberately rude posts will be deleted.
  • Posters not following the rules will be banned at the Admins' discretion.
  • Read the Full Forum Rules

Forum Details

  • Powered by vBulletin® Version 3.8.8
    Copyright ©2000 - 2024, vBulletin Solutions, Inc.
    vBulletin Optimisation by vB Optimise (Reduced on this page: MySQL 0%).
  • All times are GMT -5. The time now is 10:05 AM.