Feeding Large Breed Puppies
My-Dog.info > Dogs, Diet & Food
In recent years, considerable controversy has arisen
concerning the most appropriate diet for large breed puppies
(mature weight greater than 60 lbs), particularly as these diets
pertain to their ability to cause or prevent orthopaedic
problems. In 1974 data was published based on research on Great
Dane puppies that concluded that there was a higher incidence of
hip dysplasia in puppies fed a high protein, high energy, high
mineral diet. Despite a number of flaws with this work, its
impact on the controversy remains. Veterinarians are confronted
daily by clients who have been told by breeders that puppies
should only be fed adult food. For some, the whole concept of
growth as a distinct life stage has come into question.
The most rapid growth phase for a puppy occurs during the
first 6 months of age. During this phase they have a greater
protein requirement for the formation of new tissue, yet this
protein requirement must still be balanced with their energy
intake. Their energy requirements are up to 3 times that of an
adult’s maintenance energy requirement (MER); from weaning
to 3 months it is 2-3 x MER; 3-6 months 1.5-2 x MER. As a puppy
matures beyond 6 months, the energy requirements gradually
decrease to adult needs at maturity. This age of maturity varies,
being as young as 8 months in small breeds or as late as 24
months in giant breeds. Puppies also have a greater need for
essential nutrients on a body weight basis. Of all the food
nutrients, energy (caloric) intake and calcium appear to play the
greatest roles in the potential for aggravating existing skeletal
disorders.
It is widely accepted that too rapid a growth rate can lead to
a number of skeletal disorders in a number of species. Excessive
energy intake in the canine can result in a more rapid growth
rate resulting in an overweight puppy, as well as the potential
for aggravating certain orthopaedic anomalies (e.g. hip
displasia, osteochondritis and hypertrophic osteodystrophy).
Excessive growth rates lead to an increase in both muscle mass
and total body weight. These in turn lead to excessive stress
forces on long bones which, in a puppy, are less dense and have a
greater susceptibility to being remodelled. As bones of large
breeds are relatively weaker than those of small breeds, they are
inherently more susceptible to these stress loads.
In response to these concerns, the conclusion has been reached
by some that the best preventive solution is to feed only
maintenance food to large breed puppies. Feeding a balanced, yet
lower energy dense food, will not negatively affect a
puppy’s adult size, rather the rate at which it achieves
this size. However, puppies have less digestive capability and
hence require a highly digestible food. Simply feeding more of a
less digestible adult food will often "overload" the
limited digestive capacity of a puppy leading to nutrient
deficiencies. Because they are less energy dense, some adult
foods contain more calcium than is required on an energy basis.
Excess calcium can produce deficiencies in other nutrients (e.g.
zinc) as well as potentiating other disorders such as
osteochondritis and wobblers syndrome.
A more appropriate solution to feeding a large breed puppy an
adult food is to feed appropriate amounts of a growth diet to
maintain a normal growth curve for that breed. Free choice
feeding, as is often recommended on pet food labels, is imprecise
and should be avoided until a puppy reaches its mature skeletal
size. It should be remembered that feeding guidelines provided by
the manufacturer are averages only. Owners should be counselled
to tailor a puppy’s intake to the individual needs and
activity level, always striving for a lean body weight (ribs
easily felt). Puppies should be weighed regularly and their
energy requirements calculated accordingly. Based on the energy
density of the particular food, appropriate amounts can be fed in
proportional feedings.
Additional considerations for owners are the frequency and
intensity of exercise, as well as the need for vitamin
supplements. Guidance from their veterinarian and common sense
should prevail in encouraging owners to avoid exercising their
puppy excessively. However, daily exercise is important for the
proper development of bone structure, as well as for assisting in
the maintenance of lean body weight. Vitamin or mineral
supplements should be avoided with large breed puppies.
Ultimately, the ideal way to avoid bone disorders is through
appropriate breeding practices. Veterinarians remain a primary
source for new owners to seek advice on the proper selection of
breeders and their puppies.
Reprinted with permission from www.animalhealthcare.ca
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