|
|
| Public Forum |
Proceed to Auspet's
New Discussion Forum |
Pet
Directory |
Classifieds
| Home
| LinkXchange
|
 Click here to make Auspet.com your default home page |
|
 Auspet - Message Boards
 Dogs - all types
 How long to feed puppy food?
|
 UBBFriend: Email This Page to Someone! |
next newest topic | next oldest topic |
| Author | Topic: How long to feed puppy food? |
|
elizavixen Member  Posts: 160 |
posted 01-10-2004 06:03 AM
 
Ok, I have a 14 wk old, 40 lb St. Bernard puppy. He is currently eating large breed puppy food. Anyways, I have been to serveral sites about large breed puppies and they all seem to say the very different things as to when I should stop feeding him puppy food. Some sites say at around 4 months, while others say around 15 months. That is a big difference. I asked my vet but I don't think he knows much about dog nutrition because he told me I should just feed him Purina puppy chow until he is full grown. (he is good in every other area of veterinary medicine, nutrition is just not his thing) I don't particularly care for my vet's advice so I was wondering if there was anyone here who has done something similar with their large breed puppy and can give me their advice? I'm worried about his bones and growth rate, etc. IP: Logged |
|
kyles101 Member Posts: 227 |
posted 01-10-2004 06:49 AM
if hes eating food specifically for large breeds then keep feeding it to him till hes 14 to 18 months old. the reason why some people say to stop feeding puppy food earlier is because food that ISNT for large breeds has more nutrients like calcium and that makes them grow too fast. IP: Logged |
|
Jamiya Member Posts: 1392 |
posted 01-10-2004 07:13 AM
Actually, I have been told that with a large breed puppy, you want him off puppy food of any kind at about 4 months old. Check out this site for a reference: http://www.wilpowerkennels.com/feeding.htm You can even e-mail that breeder (she breeds Burnese Mountain Dogs) and she will answer any questions you have. She helped me in choosing a new food for Nala, even though Nala is not a large breed. There is another good large breed site about Great Danes, I think, but I don't know the URL. Someone else can provide it for you I'm sure.
***edit: I just skimmed through that site again and she is recommending to mix large breed puppy food with adult food from about 4-6 months until a year. She even has a list of good foods to do this with.*** [This message has been edited by Jamiya (edited 01-10-2004).] IP: Logged |
|
Maisey Member Posts: 1387 |
posted 01-10-2004 10:47 AM
My personal opinion is that you have to go a step further...you can't trust the bag just because it says it is for large breed puppies. You need to talk with reputable breeders of your breed of dog...ones who understand nutritional effects on growth and issues that can result from feeding wrong. Ask for nutritional guidlines and then seek out a food that has that. Some people think that the large breed puppy NEEDS more of everything to "grow them", foods on the market will reflect that. Some believe that too much of certain things can cause rapid growth and lead to serious problems...I'm with the lattter group there. You will see alot of opinions, you ahve to kind of read them all and decide for yourself what makes sense. I have a few articles that might help, I'll post them below. Your vet probably won't know alot about dog foods unless it's an interest of his/hers. You could seek out the advice of a Nutritionist, they have them for pets too! Kudos to you for being aware of the issue and searching out information. The info in those links is not an answer...it's information to help you find your answer. Hope it helps. IP: Logged |
|
charmedagain Member Posts: 790 |
posted 01-10-2004 11:53 AM
HI.Puppies can be place on adult foods between 4-6 months some wait longer before changing. It is always best to mix both the adult with the puppy and gradually remove the puppy as the transition from puppy to adult can make your pup very ill. Also you can get puppy conditioning pills or liquid if your worried the puppy isnt getting enough nutrients from the adult food. Large breed dogs/ puppies need to be fed more than a medium sized dog i feed my german shepherds 3 times a day so i would say a larger dog would need about 3-4 feeds per day. mike. boro_lad1976@hotmail.com IP: Logged |
|
Samsintentions Member Posts: 944 |
posted 01-12-2004 05:10 AM
14-18 months is about right. Although for my dogs, we begin feeding Adult formula for high energy and activity at about 12-14 months. Your doing the right thing. St. Bernards, will eat alot, if he begins to show signs of loosing weight, not eating, you may need to shift his food tosomething with a little more nutrition. I feed Purina One, and Pedigree... IP: Logged |
|
elizavixen Member Posts: 160 |
posted 01-12-2004 06:56 AM
I am feeding him Eagle Pack large breed puppy food. According to the great dane lady, it is the best. He is doing fine on it, the only reason I asked the question was because I am getting to the end of the bag and don't know whether I should buy him more or start switching him to something else. So we have 2 votes for 4-6 mos, and 2 votes for 14-18 mos. Alas, more confusion. I think I will just get him another bag of it until I get the food for my other dog straightened out. Then go from there. IP: Logged |
|
Jamiya Member Posts: 1392 |
posted 01-12-2004 07:00 AM
I have decided to keep mixing Nala's food 50-50 adult and puppy (I feed Healthwise, made by the Innova people). She is not a large breed, though. She is about 8 months old. And I think soon I will rotate to Nature's Variety kibble, which does not have a puppy food. Perhaps I will buy one more bag of Healthwise puppy and a bag of adult and mix them, and then switch to NV when we run out. Ideally, I am going to start preparing raw food, but I need to research more first. And right now, Nala gets the NV raw medallions for one of her meals on weekdays.
IP: Logged |
All times are ET (US) | next newest topic | next oldest topic |
  |
|
Contact Us | Auspet.com
Ultimate Bulletin Board 5.45c
| Home | Contact us | Advertise here | Jobs at Auspet | |
| © 1999-2017 AusPet.com |