I found this puppy and dont know what breed she is (I think a german shepard mix) and am wondering if I should just feed her a large breed formula and if it will hurt her if I dont or if she's not a large breed will it hurt her if I do? I will feed her Innova brand either way.
2007-06-12 16:56:16 · 13 answers · asked by sunluvr_1976 3 in Pets ➔ Dogs
It really doesn't matter what size food you feed them as long as they can chew it. The whole "breed size" food is just a marketing strategy. It's all the same food just baked into different sizes.
2007-06-13 02:42:00 · answer #1 · answered by mama woof 7 · 0⤊ 1⤋
German shepards are large breed dogs. A large breed is anything over 50 pounds full grown. Check the food bag to see what the nutritional differences are in the large breed versus the regular dog food and if there actually is any feed the large breed formula because it will help with the development of the joints.
2007-06-12 17:00:43 · answer #2 · answered by sun_and_moon_1973 5 · 0⤊ 1⤋
Large breed puppy foods are formulated to ensure slow steady growth and support the joints--a large breed that eats a food that is too rich in protein or nutrients may grow too fast and develop musculo-skeletal problems. People will differ in what they consider a large breed--I have mastiffs, and to me, everything else is small, but to most people, a german shepherd would be a large breed. If you think she's going to be a large dog, then go ahead and give her the large breed puppy food. It won't hurt her. Innova is an excellent food, but don't give a puppy Innova EVO because of the high protein levels. Good luck with her.
2007-06-12 17:03:08 · answer #3 · answered by kk 4 · 6⤊ 0⤋
A German Shepherd mix would probably grow up to be a large breed dog so a large breed formula would be best. The large breed formulas are designed to have them grow more slowly to support healthier joint and bones later on. It's not mandatory but it is better. Innova is a great food.
2007-06-12 17:01:25 · answer #4 · answered by ? 7 · 2⤊ 0⤋
I had 2 male German Shepherds that were brothers from the same litter. The one puppy- Major- had problems with his wrist ( what I would equate to our wrist). He was starting to limp. I took him to our local vet and he was of no help what so ever. Took him to the vet near where I attend college. That other "vet asked me 1) What kind of food are you feeding this puppy?" I answered puppy chow. 2nd question was "Exactly what kind of puppy food?" to which I answered Purina or another name brand. He told me that I needed to switch to Iams Puppy Chow. He told me that this is specially formulaed for large breeds. He explained that large breeds need this because they grow at a more slow and steady rate than smaller puppies who grow at a much quicker rate. You have to remember that there will be a lot of weight on the dogs joints and this is the reason why the large breed puppies need large breed puppy chow. By the way you should feed them for 2 years as their bones are still developing.
Hope this is of some help.
2007-06-13 19:49:20 · answer #5 · answered by Su-Nami 6 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Large breed puppy is fine for her if she is a German Shepherd mixed with another large dog. "Large breeds" are over 50 lbs. when they are adults.
The main thing for "large breed" puppies is to maintain a proper weight. Excess weight on large puppies can cause many bone & joint problems. So the "large breed" formula maintains proper weight for them and also makes sure they do not grow too quickly.
The reason there is a "large breed" formula is because they differ from smaller breeds in size, growth rate, skeletal development, etc.
If she is small for a large breed, like a German Shepherd x Small Terrier and she is very small for a German Shepherd mix then it could possibly hurt her.
Innova is a wonderful food, good choice! The Innova EVO brand tends to be very high in protein and fat though, regular Innova is fine.
2007-06-12 17:07:49 · answer #6 · answered by Anonymous · 1⤊ 1⤋
I would say that a large breed puppy would get 50 or more lbs. The reason they have large breed pup food is because they grow so fast that their bones sometimes don't fully develope. The large breed pup food controls their growth and gives them what they need to have strong bones.
2007-06-12 17:00:23 · answer #7 · answered by jeepiegurl 5 · 1⤊ 0⤋
If you are feeding a breed such as a Great Dane then absolutely NO puppy food of any kind including large breed..the protein and calcium levels are way to high and can cause serious growth issues.
2016-04-01 04:42:36 · answer #8 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
Dogs who are expected to be over 50 lbs at adult weight are called "large breed". Dog food is dog food. It will probably not hurt or help her either way whether you feed the "large breed" food or not. The different names for pet foods are a clever marketing ploy to get people to buy the food because they think that they are buying something exclusively for their pet with a sensitive stomach, a joint problem, or some other specialized issue or quality. In fact, many different brands of pet foods are made at the same plant with the same ingredients and put in different bags or cans. That is why I feed BARF (raw meat) because then I know exactly what is going in my dog's mouth.
2007-06-12 17:06:07 · answer #9 · answered by Kristen K 3 · 2⤊ 2⤋
It doesn't matter that much with puppy food. She will be ok as long as you have food with protein and nutrients for it. Specialized dog food never existed before and dogs have been fine without it. I wouldn't worry about it too much. Give her a general puppy food made for all puppies and she should be fine.
2007-06-12 17:02:07 · answer #10 · answered by erinsuzy 2 · 0⤊ 2⤋