High Protein Foods for Puppies?

I would NOT feed a large breed pup a high protein food until they are completely and totally full grown.  I've seen shepherds hit a growth spurt at 2 years and older.  I have just now put one of my boys on a high protein food to keep the weight on him thiswinter, but he's 3.5, or so.

The biggie I think is the calcium/phosperous balance.  Those foods aren't formulated correctly for growing lg breed pups.

Orijen *large breed puppy* food IS appropriate for calcium/phosphorus levels for a large breed puppy. Whether or not the protein level is too high, I can't answer that.

I fed it to my 53# Nova Scotia pup from about 9-14mnths of age, but I don't know if he qualifies as a *large breed*, he is pretty tall, around 24" or so, and stands around the same height, maybe a little taller then most Golden Retrievers, but not nearly as big-boned. Thus, he'll probably never weight more then 55# or so.

Innova large breed puppy food is also regulated very precisely for a large breed puppy in protein levels as well as calcium/phosphorus levels, this is the one I would definitely feed again, I fed it to Rivers from around 5-8mnths of age. And it is one I would feed again for a growing large pup, I only stopped feeding it to Rivers because the barley was making him itch.

The ONLY Taste of the Wild formula I would feed to your pup would be the Salmon/fish one, but I wouldn't feel comfortable honestly.

I had all of these same questions when I got Rivers at 4mnths old, I was scared to death of what and what not to feed him. I think I had more leaway though, as he's not really a large boned structured dog, but we didn't *know* for sure how big he would get.

If you can track down a nutritionist, I think that would be the best way to get a good answer for your dog.  I suspect that the answer varies some by breed, and that "high" protein levels need to be unusually high to cause any potential problems.  But that's just my guess.

 Taste of the Wild has three formulas and the protein levels are slightly different in each, so that could be a good line for you to look into.
 

the idea that "high protein" causes growth problems is a MYTH. What causes growth problems is too much calcium and over-feeding in general. Many of the "high protein" foods available these days are very high in calcium and very calorie-dense, but it's not the protein you need to watch out for.

Be cautious with TOTW formula's however, I believe they contain too much calcium for a growing puppy.

Again, just reading the protein level % is not going to tell you how much calcium is in the total food.

http://www.greatdanelady.com/articles/do_i_need_to_use_a_puppy_food.htm

she has some biases but in general she knows what she's talking about

If you are dealing with a giant breed puppy I would worry about high protein foods.  Keep in mind that alot of foods calcium/phosphorus ratios look good, but if you observe they usually say "minimums" only.  That means that while it lists x% of calcium, it is only the minimum guaranteed in the bag (obviously it can be much higher throughout the food). Typically high protein foods have high amounts of calcium because of the increased animal protein which = increased bones that = increased calcium. 

 And I would not consider a NSDTR a large breed...  Dogs over 60lbs are to be considered large breeds, IMO.
 

papillon806

If you are dealing with a giant breed puppy I would worry about high protein foods.  Keep in mind that alot of foods calcium/phosphorus ratios look good, but if you observe they usually say "minimums" only.  That means that while it lists x% of calcium, it is only the minimum guaranteed in the bag (obviously it can be much higher throughout the food). Typically high protein foods have high amounts of calcium because of the increased animal protein which = increased bones that = increased calcium. 

 And I would not consider a NSDTR a large breed...  Dogs over 60lbs are to be considered large breeds, IMO.
 

 Correct. One needs to find out the maximum/minimum calcium ratio, which IS something the above 2 companies do disclose, thus the reason I recommend them.

Cool...I'm glad Rivers is not considered large breed. I was hoping that he would actually be a little shorter then he's turned out to be, I've had big dogs before and it just gets so hard on their joints as they age.

Honestly though, we had no clue as to how big he'd get, as he's still growing, so going the large breed puppy food route for 26" tall was probably for the better.

 Certainly no harm in feeding a large breed puppy food to Rivers...it's always better to be safe if you don't know how big they're gonna get.

My smallest dog is 70 lbs, so no I personally don't think a 50 lb dog is all that big.  However, THE PET FOOD INDUSTRY CONSIDERS ANY DOG WHO WILL BE OVER 50 LBS AS AN ADULT TO BE A LARGE BREED.  That is absolutely something you need to keep in mind when selecting a food.

Rivers is not at all the size of my late Alaskan Malamute, at 85#, so it is strange having a tall dog around that's so skinny. I'm not complaining though, I'd prefer him to stay on the thin side.

Just because the pet food industry considers anything 50# or higher a large breed doesn't mean that you need to treat your dog like one if it's at the cutoff.  Falon is 56lbs but by no means a "large breed." 

papillon806

Just because the pet food industry considers anything 50# or higher a large breed doesn't mean that you need to treat your dog like one if it's at the cutoff.  Falon is 56lbs but by no means a "large breed." 

Easy easy....does it matter?

There is no harm in it if someone wants to chose to do so, even if one dog is not considered a large breed, there is no nutrient loss in chosing a large breed puppy food. 

Obviously someone would be wasting their time searching for a good large breed food if the pup was only going to be in the 40# or mid-height range. But, if they've adopted a puppy that has large baseball size knee caps at 4 mnths old, I think it's a wise decision to feed for the *what if* he/she turns out to be a large breed.

Personally, with the Orijen large breed puppy food, there was no price difference in the food; with the Innova large breed puppy there was only a $3 dollar difference in food....big deal in the overall quality of life.

I chose to *stick* with the large breed idea based on River's height alone, he stands taller then most Golden Retrievers who are considered large-breed; if I recall correctly the whole idea behind the *large breed puppy foods* was to make sure they didn't *grow* too fast...does that not include height as well as weight?

Seriously, I'm asking cause I'm assuming so, but I honestly don't know.

But whether or not I needed to chose this route, in my mind, he's close enough, and I'm glad I did. He, at 7-8 mnths old, was having such a growth spurt, we had to take him to the vet twice because he was in pain, and he up and just took off height wise.

I think it might be a good idea to feed a large breed puppy food to any breed that has a chance of developing hip dysplasia. That includes many of the medium sized breeds. Slow growth is better for their hips. Female Samoyeds only average about 45lbs, but I fed my last girl Innova Large Breed Puppy. Future pups will also be on some diet that controls their growth.