Big puppy, big diet! What’s the big deal?

By Zoe Forward, DVM, Dipl. ABVP (canine/feline)

You just adopted the cutest ever Great Dane or Golden Retriever puppy, and your breeder gave you several pages of information and laid down the law when it came to what you must do to feed your puppy. But is this the right thing to feed?  What do veterinary nutritionists recommend (based on years of research)?

Our goal is to clear the confusion and get you on the right page with what is recommended to be fed to a “large breed” puppy and why.  Let’s start by defining what is a “large breed” puppy. This is a dog who when full grown is going to be over 60 or 70 pounds (such as a mastiff, Great Dane, Rottweiler, St. Bernard, Newfoundland, or retriever…this is certainly not an exhaustive list but simply to give you an idea).

Rapid growth too early in a large breed puppy can lead to skeletal abnormalities, called developmental orthopedic diseases (DODs). The most common of these diseases is called osteochondrosis, which means there is a disruption in the ossification process in a bone which leaves a focal lesion at the end of a bone. This leads  to acute inflammation and pain! Other potential issues can include angular bone deformities and hip/elbow dysplasia.  The most critical time period for the development of DODs is during early bone growth or the first 12 months of life.  Bottom line:  To prevent the disease, we must control our puppy’s growth to the best of our abilities through feeding.

Nutrition is a big factor. The biggest risk for developing DODs are free-choice feeding or overfeeding (especially high-energy foods linked to rapid growth), excessive calcium intake, excessive mineral intake at a young age and an imbalance of Vitamin D metabolites.  Of course, nutrients must be given in proper amounts.  This doesn’t mean to take all calcium and vitamin D out of the diet! It means they must be given in the proper amount (not too much and not too little). We must feed to a keep our larger puppies in a lean body condition while they’re growing. That sounds tough.  It’s not. It’s easy!  Feed a diet specifically formulated for large breeds. And meal feed.   Don’t use supplements.

What’s special about large breed foods? They have a reduced caloric density and reduced calcium and phosphorous compared with other growth diets for dogs.  

What about feeding my puppy an adult diet (that’s what my breeder recommended)? This is not a good choice. The caloric density of an adult diet is not enough.  What happens is that the puppy ends up eating such a large volume to make up the necessary calories that they take in excess of other nutrients, some of which can place the puppy at high risk for DODs.

How do I feed my large breed puppy?  Choose a high quality “large breed” commercial puppy food that contains the following (some of these factors may not be on the bag and you need to go to the manufacturer’s website): 

1)      Kcal/kg ME as fed  ideally between 3200-3800

2)      % fat on dry matter basis ideally ≤ 12%

3)      % calcium on dry matter basis ideally 0.7-1.2%

4)      An AAFCO statement

 And if you have questions, ask your vet!  That’s why they’re there.