[lucky8926]

I've read in a few places that you should get large breed puppy food because it has less protein and won't allow the pup to grow too fast for it's bones which could eventually cause arthritis, hip dysplasia *sp?*, or other bone problems. Is there any truth to this or is it just a gimmick that the food companies use???

 

[SummerLuv]

I have heard from many people on here that its just a marketing gimmick, I feed large breed pedigree though.

 

[Barbs2Ks]

Most here recommend an all life stages formula, just check that the protein is not over 26%.

 

[sumyasmom]

Most here recommend an all life stages formula, just check that the protein is not over 26%.

i feed sumya royal canin large breed puppy food. i just checked the protein and it is 32%, should i switch to the adult formula?

 

[lucky8926]

Since the large breed puppy food has less protein to keep them from growing too fast is there a risk of them not growing up fully due to lack of protein during their puppy years???

 

[Barbs2Ks]

http://www.beowulfs.com/magazine/age.htm[/url]

 

[lucky8926]

That article was interesting, but you also have to take into consideration it was on a website for a brand of dog food that makes "all life" dog food (back to basics)

 

[Nexu]

It's mostly a gimmick.  However there have been studies that caution against feeding too much calcium, protein, fat or total calories specifically to dogs that grow very fast.


http://jn.nutrition.org/cgi/content/abs ... Suppl/S107

http://jn.nutrition.org/cgi/content/full/134/8/2151S

http://www.breedsmartpartners.com/bronl ... rticleID=7

 

[Mastray]

I fed Odin Nutro's lamb and rice puppy formular till just recently. I also noticed it changed... from Lamb and Rice to Lamb Meal and Rice... his poop also changed... so I went with Royal Canin Boxer Formula 26... I know it's supposedly a gimmick that it's FOR BOXERS only... but it grades GREAT and is easy to get... and those mattered most to me.

 

[boxerlove]

We fed a large breed puppy and now feed large breed dog food (Bil-Jac).  What you feed your dog all depends on what your dog can handle, what you can afford and what is availabe in your area.  Some dogs can not handle the high quality foods and some don't do well on the low quality foods.  I know the food we feed is considered extremely bad just because it has some corn in it however our dogs are doing excellent on it and it is the only food we found that our one dog can eat and keep down.  After trying so many different brands high and low priced we finally found one that works.