What food do/did you feed your puppy?

[Crazy-Cat-Lover]

I was wondering about that as well.

I sent Natura an email and asked about this. I will post the answer as soon as I get a reply.

[anna_66]

I fed Bon Diamond lamb and rice when he was first brought home (eww gassy!) but then changed him to Eagle Pack Holistic Chicken (no more gas!). We still weren't happy with his poos so we changed to Canidae and everything was good but they can't seem to keep it stocked here so now we're feeding Nutro Natural Choice Chicken Meal, Rice & Oatmeal. Small amount of gas every now and then and good poos

So honestly I guess it all depends on your dog! My girls do good on just about any food, it's just the big boy that we've had problems with


This is from the mastiff board I visit.



[B]

Feeding Large Breed Puppies
Reprinted with permission from www.animalhealthcare.ca



In recent years, considerable controversy has arisen concerning the most appropriate diet for large breed puppies (mature weight greater than 60 lbs), particularly as these diets pertain to their ability to cause or prevent orthopaedic problems. In 1974 data was published based on research on Great Dane puppies that concluded that there was a higher incidence of hip dysplasia in puppies fed a high protein, high energy, high mineral diet. Despite a number of flaws with this work, its impact on the controversy remains. Veterinarians are confronted daily by clients who have been told by breeders that puppies should only be fed adult food. For some, the whole concept of growth as a distinct life stage has come into question.

The most rapid growth phase for a puppy occurs during the first 6 months of age. During this phase they have a greater protein requirement for the formation of new tissue, yet this protein requirement must still be balanced with their energy intake. Their energy requirements are up to 3 times that of an adults maintenance energy requirement (MER); from weaning to 3 months it is 2-3 x MER; 3-6 months 1.5-2 x MER. As a puppy matures beyond 6 months, the energy requirements gradually decrease to adult needs at maturity. This age of maturity varies, being as young as 8 months in small breeds or as late as 24 months in giant breeds. Puppies also have a greater need for essential nutrients on a body weight basis. Of all the food nutrients, energy (caloric) intake and calcium appear to play the greatest roles in the potential for aggravating existing skeletal disorders.

It is widely accepted that too rapid a growth rate can lead to a number of skeletal disorders in a number of species. Excessive energy intake in the canine can result in a more rapid growth rate resulting in an overweight puppy, as well as the potential for aggravating certain orthopaedic anomalies (e.g. hip displasia, osteochondritis and hypertrophic osteodystrophy). Excessive growth rates lead to an increase in both muscle mass and total body weight. These in turn lead to excessive stress forces on long bones which, in a puppy, are less dense and have a greater susceptibility to being remodelled. As bones of large breeds are relatively weaker than those of small breeds, they are inherently more susceptible to these stress loads.

In response to these concerns, the conclusion has been reached by some that the best preventive solution is to feed only maintenance food to large breed puppies. Feeding a balanced, yet lower energy dense food, will not negatively affect a puppy’s adult size, rather the rate at which it achieves this size. However, puppies have less digestive capability and hence require a highly digestible food. Simply feeding more of a less digestible adult food will often "overload" the limited digestive capacity of a puppy leading to nutrient deficiencies. Because they are less energy dense, some adult foods contain more calcium than is required on an energy basis. Excess calcium can produce deficiencies in other nutrients (e.g. zinc) as well as potentiating other disorders such as osteochondritis and wobblers syndrome.

A more appropriate solution to feeding a large breed puppy an adult food is to feed appropriate amounts of a growth diet to maintain a normal growth curve for that breed. Free choice feeding, as is often recommended on pet food labels, is imprecise and should be avoided until a puppy reaches its mature skeletal size. It should be remembered that feeding guidelines provided by the manufacturer are averages only. Owners should be counselled to tailor a puppy’s intake to the individual needs and activity level, always striving for a lean body weight (ribs easily felt). Puppies should be weighed regularly and their energy requirements calculated accordingly. Based on the energy density of the particular food, appropriate amounts can be fed in proportional feedings.

Additional considerations for owners are the frequency and intensity of exercise, as well as the need for vitamin supplements. Guidance from their veterinarian and common sense should prevail in encouraging owners to avoid exercising their puppy excessively. However, daily exercise is important for the proper development of bone structure, as well as for assisting in the maintenance of lean body weight. Vitamin or mineral supplements should be avoided with large breed puppies. Ultimately, the ideal way to avoid bone disorders is through appropriate breeding practices. Veterinarians remain a primary source for new owners to seek advice on the proper selection of breeders and their puppies.

[.sarah]

Thanks Anna! My vet reccommended Innova Puppy, and so far that looks like the best choice. I also just started feeding my girls RAW food at night & kibble in the morning, and I was wondering if anyone knows how much RAW a puppy can have? I'll probably give it to him 2-3 times / week.

[Logan]

My kids are older.......Honey is 7, Lilly is 6, and Zipper is probably 11 or so (we don't know, for sure). After the loss of Murphy in December, we knew we needed to alter the eating habits of our Golden Retrievers. We had been adding extras for Murphy, as she was thin, and a senior girl, and had been adding the extras to the Goldens as well. We have moved to Iams Weight Control, since her death, and they are doing GREAT!!!! None of them have been weighed, but I feel that they have probably all lost weight, and are much more healthy. And they eat, willingly..........something that surprises me, actually, after supplimenting their food for so long.

We're going to stick with the the Iams "blue" for a while..........

Logan

[.sarah]

Never mind about feeding RAW to puppies - I have figured out the general rule to feed.

I am thinking I will go with RAW food and buy everything on sale. Winn Dixie and Albertsons *always* have sales on meat!

[Crazy-Cat-Lover]

Never mind about feeding RAW to puppies - I have figured out the general rule to feed.

I am thinking I will go with RAW food and buy everything on sale. Winn Dixie and Albertsons *always* have sales on meat!

Raw is the BEST food you can feed a dog! Let me know how it goes - I would love to feed raw, but knowing the size of a Dane - I might go broke every payday!

[.sarah]

lol ... well, I imagine my food bill is twice as much as yours will be because I have 4 large dogs. The new pup will probably be 80ish lbs. Nova and Luka are both 70 lbs and Mandy is 57. If it gets too expensive I'll probably feed raw only a few times a week.

No word from Natura yet?