Puppy nutrition?

Question

Do large breed puppies need special food?
I read large breed puppies shouldn't have a high energy diet because it messes with their growth. Is this true?

I have a 9 wk old Great Pyrenees Puppy and I am planning on switching her to a food of higher quality. I am trying to decide between "Solid Gold: Wolf Cub (Large Breed Puppy Food)" and "Natural Balance Ultra Premium", which says its for all breeds and life stages. Which do you think would be better for my dog? and why? Would you recommend something else?


Solid Gold Wolf Cub:
Protein, Min 26%
Fat, Min 12%
Fiber, Max 4%
Moisture, Max 10%
Calcium, Max 1.5%
Phosphorus, Max 1.2%


Natural Balance Ultra Premium:
Crude Protein 23.0% minimum
Crude Fat 13.0% minimum
Crude Fiber 3.0% maximum
Moisture 10.0% maximum
Omega 3 Fatty Acids 0.5% minimum
Omega 6 Fatty Acids 3.0% minimum

-Sirena D- Thank you for the suggestion, however I feel pretty iffy about feeding my dog a food with "animal fat" (what animal is it from exactly?) and corn as a first ingredient.

-Sillygoose- Thank you. Especially for the tip about the shots. I had no idea that that the distemper vaccine could do that. I will talk to my vet about holding it off.

Nutro Natural Choice Lamb and Rice sounds pretty good. I like the fact that I could find it at petsmart which is very convenient for me.

-erickal- I like Natural Balance brand too. I used to feed Natural Balance cat food to my cat who had severe food allergies and what it did for her was amazing. I just want to be sure its good for my pup since she will grow to be very big.

Answer 1

good for you to be asking this very smart question. i breed great Danes and we are considered a giant breed you are too ! large breed food is for Shepard's and labs. you want 23% protein or less and NO puppyfood feed adult. we love nutro's lamb and rice natural choice adult. no corn ! or grain fillers. beet pulp is good for the intestines (flora) growth. also a good pro-biotic and digestive enzyme for the absorption .

Answer 2

The owners of the dog kennel I work at breed Bernese Mountain Dogs, which grow to be large dogs. They have 3 puppies right now and they are being fed Canidae soaked in goat's milk and with a little bit of Embark. When they get older, they start feeding plain Canidae. They have been breeding for many years now so I always trust what they do! They also feed the dog food brand Innova and Prism, which are both very good.

Answer 3

To be very honest with you, I would suggest Hill's Science Diet, Large Breed formula (you should be able to find it for puppies). It's the best balanced diet you can put your puppy on and I garantee you're going to be satisfied as your dog grows. The biggest thing you'll notice is their coat; it's going to be shiny and smooth and soft, it won't get waxy and dull the way a lot of dogs get as they get older. One tip for feeding, even with Science Diet, always feed about 1/4-1/8 UNDER the recommended feeding amount for your dog's size. They always tell you to feed more because they want you to run out of food faster and buy more. I know it's terrible but it's the truth.

Answer 4

I feed my dogs Natural Balance. It is great stuff!