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Swimming a bit against the current here...
There's a lot of quality foods out there. Brand names are less important than the proper nutritional balance. Animal nutrition science is about on par with human. You want nutritionally balanced food from a company that employs veterinary nutrition specialists (there's a degree for that, DVM first then DACVN or may be others ending in ...CVN) to develop the proper nutritional balance for size, life stage, and special needs.
What is Large Breed Puppy Food – Puppy Food for Large Breed Dogs | PetMD
Puppies that are going to grow up to be big dogs are predisposed to developmental orthopedic diseases (DOD) like osteochondritis dissecans and hip and elbow dysplasia. Nutrition, or to be precise, over-nutrition, is an important risk factor of DOD.
www.petmd.com
Why you shouldn’t judge a pet food by its ingredient list – Clinical Nutrition Service at Cummings School (tufts.edu)
With the larger breeds you want to avoid growing too quickly by overfeeding and keep the proper full nutritional balance between protein, fat, calcium/phosphorus ratio for appropriate orthopedic growth support, and other nutrients.
You also want to look for foods with the AAFCO label. They are the entity that develop the minimum feed guidelines and work with the FDA in the US.
AFCO considers over 70lb to be "large breed" so their calculations are based on that.
Most dog food companies seem to be choosing 50lb as a conservative number.
Confused About What to Feed Your Large Breed Puppy? New Rules May Help! – Clinical Nutrition Service at Cummings School (tufts.edu)
Examples of one brand's large breed vs regular puppy Guaranteed Analysis from the website
Large Breed
Guaranteed Analysis
Crude Protein Not Less Than 30.00%
Crude Fat Not Less Than 12.00%
Crude Fiber Not More Than 6.00%
Moisture Not More Than 10.00%
Calcium Not Less Than 1.10%
Phosphorus Not Less Than 0.80%
Vitamin A Not Less Than 25,000 IU/kg
Vitamin E Not Less Than 200 IU/kg
Ascorbic Acid (Vitamin C)* Not Less Than 100 mg/kg
Omega-6 Fatty Acids* Not Less Than 2.75%
Omega-3 Fatty Acids* Not Less Than 0.75%
Glucosamine* Not Less Than 750 mg/kg
Chondroitin Sulfate* Not Less Than 250 mg/kg
Taurine* Not Less Than 0.09%
Total Lactic Acid Microorganisms* Not Less Than 20,000,000 CFU/lb
Large Breed
Feeding Guidelines
Regular puppy food feeding guidelines and calorie count. You'll notice that the upper weight expected is 50lbs for regular puppy and total daily calorie count (this total count is assuming that this food is all that is fed daily. If you're offering snacks and/or treats, adjust accordingly).
"Regular" Puppy
Guaranteed Analysis
Crude Protein Not Less Than 32.00%
Crude Fat Not Less Than 18.00%
Crude Fiber Not More Than 5.50%
Moisture Not More Than 10.00%
Docosahexaenoic Acid (DHA) Not Less Than 0.10%
Calcium Not Less Than 1.20%
Phosphorus Not Less Than 1.00%
Vitamin A Not Less Than 25,000 IU/kg
Vitamin E Not Less Than 200 IU/kg
Omega-6 Fatty Acids* Not Less Than 4.00%
Omega-3 Fatty Acids* Not Less Than 1.00%
Taurine* Not Less Than 0.09%
Total Lactic Acid Microorganisms* Not Less Than 20,000,000 CFU/lb
Possible concerns re diet associated DCM
Posted by PF member Liz
(10) Canine Dilated Cardiomyopathy Linked to Pulses in Grain-Free Foods | Poodle Forum
Some current info on DCM
Diet-Associated DCM: Research Update – Clinical Nutrition Service at Cummings School (tufts.edu)
This is a good overall resource
Petfoodology – Clinical Nutrition Service at Cummings School (tufts.edu)
I've grabbed articles from here in the past but never thought to link to the full resource til PF member TeamHellhound suggested it in another thread. Each article is brief so scroll thru for what interests you.
And, I feed Purina Pro Plan
There's a lot of quality foods out there. Brand names are less important than the proper nutritional balance. Animal nutrition science is about on par with human. You want nutritionally balanced food from a company that employs veterinary nutrition specialists (there's a degree for that, DVM first then DACVN or may be others ending in ...CVN) to develop the proper nutritional balance for size, life stage, and special needs.
What is Large Breed Puppy Food – Puppy Food for Large Breed Dogs | PetMD
Puppies that are going to grow up to be big dogs are predisposed to developmental orthopedic diseases (DOD) like osteochondritis dissecans and hip and elbow dysplasia. Nutrition, or to be precise, over-nutrition, is an important risk factor of DOD.
www.petmd.com
Why you shouldn’t judge a pet food by its ingredient list – Clinical Nutrition Service at Cummings School (tufts.edu)
With the larger breeds you want to avoid growing too quickly by overfeeding and keep the proper full nutritional balance between protein, fat, calcium/phosphorus ratio for appropriate orthopedic growth support, and other nutrients.
You also want to look for foods with the AAFCO label. They are the entity that develop the minimum feed guidelines and work with the FDA in the US.
AFCO considers over 70lb to be "large breed" so their calculations are based on that.
Most dog food companies seem to be choosing 50lb as a conservative number.
Confused About What to Feed Your Large Breed Puppy? New Rules May Help! – Clinical Nutrition Service at Cummings School (tufts.edu)
Examples of one brand's large breed vs regular puppy Guaranteed Analysis from the website
Large Breed
Guaranteed Analysis
Crude Protein Not Less Than 30.00%
Crude Fat Not Less Than 12.00%
Crude Fiber Not More Than 6.00%
Moisture Not More Than 10.00%
Calcium Not Less Than 1.10%
Phosphorus Not Less Than 0.80%
Vitamin A Not Less Than 25,000 IU/kg
Vitamin E Not Less Than 200 IU/kg
Ascorbic Acid (Vitamin C)* Not Less Than 100 mg/kg
Omega-6 Fatty Acids* Not Less Than 2.75%
Omega-3 Fatty Acids* Not Less Than 0.75%
Glucosamine* Not Less Than 750 mg/kg
Chondroitin Sulfate* Not Less Than 250 mg/kg
Taurine* Not Less Than 0.09%
Total Lactic Acid Microorganisms* Not Less Than 20,000,000 CFU/lb
Large Breed
Feeding Guidelines
WEIGHT OF DOG (LBS) | WEIGHT OF DOG (KG) | CUPS/DAY | GRAMS/DAY |
---|---|---|---|
50 - 60 | 23 - 27 | 2¾ - 3 | 319 - 348 |
60 - 70 | 27 - 32 | 3 - 3½ | 348 - 406 |
70 - 80 | 32 - 36 | 3½ - 3¾ | 406 - 435 |
80 - 90 | 36 - 41 | 3¾ - 4¼ | 435 - 493 |
90 -100 | 41 - 45 | 4¼ - 4½ | 493 - 522 |
100 - 110 | 45 - 50 | 4½ - 5 | 522 - 580 |
110 - 120 | 50 - 55 | 5 - 5¼ | 580 - 609 |
120 - 140 | 55 - 64 | 5¼ - 5¾ | 609 - 667 |
140 - 160 | 64 - 73 | 5¾ - 6½ | 667 - 754 |
160 - 180 | 73 - 82 | 6½ - 7 | 754 - 812 |
Calorie Content: This food contains 3,464 kcal/kg or 402 kcal/cup ME (metabolizable energy) on an as fed basis. |
Regular puppy food feeding guidelines and calorie count. You'll notice that the upper weight expected is 50lbs for regular puppy and total daily calorie count (this total count is assuming that this food is all that is fed daily. If you're offering snacks and/or treats, adjust accordingly).
"Regular" Puppy
Guaranteed Analysis
Crude Protein Not Less Than 32.00%
Crude Fat Not Less Than 18.00%
Crude Fiber Not More Than 5.50%
Moisture Not More Than 10.00%
Docosahexaenoic Acid (DHA) Not Less Than 0.10%
Calcium Not Less Than 1.20%
Phosphorus Not Less Than 1.00%
Vitamin A Not Less Than 25,000 IU/kg
Vitamin E Not Less Than 200 IU/kg
Omega-6 Fatty Acids* Not Less Than 4.00%
Omega-3 Fatty Acids* Not Less Than 1.00%
Taurine* Not Less Than 0.09%
Total Lactic Acid Microorganisms* Not Less Than 20,000,000 CFU/lb
WEIGHT | WEIGHT | 6 - 12 WKS | 6 - 12 WKS | 4 - 6 MOS | 4 - 6 MOS | 7 - 9 MOS | 7 - 9 MOS | 10 - 12 MOS | 10 - 12 MOS |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
(LBS) | (KG) | (CUPS/DAY) | (GRAMS/DAY) | (CUPS/DAY) | (GRAMS/DAY) | (CUPS/DAY) | (GRAMS/DAY) | (CUPS/DAY) | (GRAMS/DAY)) |
3 | 1.4 | ¾ | 98 | ⅔ | 86 | ½ | 65 | ⅓ | 43 |
5 | 2 | 1 | 130 | ¼ | 98 | ⅔ | 86 | ½ | 65 |
10 | 4 | 1⅔ | 216 | 1½ | 195 | 1¼ | 163 | 1 | 130 |
15 | 7 | 2¼ | 293 | 2 | 260 | 1⅔ | 216 | 1¼ | 163 |
20 | 9 | 2¾ | 358 | 2½ | 325 | 2 | 260 | 1¾ | 228 |
30 | 14 | 3¾ | 488 | 3¼ | 423 | 2¾ | 358 | 2⅓ | 303 |
40 | 18 | 4⅔ | 606 | 4 | 520 | 3½ | 455 | 3 | 390 |
50 | 23 | - | - | 4¾ | 618 | 4¼ | 553 | 3½ | 455 |
Calorie Content: This food contains 3,770 kcal/kg or 490 kcal/cup ME (metabolizable energy) on an as fed basis. |
Possible concerns re diet associated DCM
Posted by PF member Liz
(10) Canine Dilated Cardiomyopathy Linked to Pulses in Grain-Free Foods | Poodle Forum
Some current info on DCM
Diet-Associated DCM: Research Update – Clinical Nutrition Service at Cummings School (tufts.edu)
This is a good overall resource
Petfoodology – Clinical Nutrition Service at Cummings School (tufts.edu)
I've grabbed articles from here in the past but never thought to link to the full resource til PF member TeamHellhound suggested it in another thread. Each article is brief so scroll thru for what interests you.
And, I feed Purina Pro Plan