Why a specifically large breed dog food?

There are several reasons for feeding large breed and smaller breed differently. It is important to weight your dog periodically. even if you are not seeing the vet I always recommend your dropping in on the vets office and just weighing the dog. Most vets do not have a problem with this. Large breed dogs have different growth periods and large breed food has to take that under consideration. Keep in contact with the breeder about the growth so they can judge it. learn to measure your dog properly with a yard stick so the breeder can judge properly.

Larger breed dogs growth process is a long and delicate. Diet plays as much of a role in the development of HD (Hip Dysplasia), and other young-dog joint and bone disorders, as does heredity.  They need a moderate amount of energy to insure a slow growth rate. There have been studies conducted with the larger breeds. They found dogs feed "extra" calories and protein would grow at a rapid rate and this would cause uncontrolled growth. This can lead to HD along with the other joint problems as they are growing up and arthritis when they are older dogs. I have seen pups who have been fed a large breed puppy dog food changed to a high protein, calcium, calories food and the dogs have inflamed joints, damaging the dogs growth. This inflammation can also lead to overall health problems with infections. There have also been a few studies that say that giving huge amounts of protein can hurt the endocrine system.

There risks when people try supplement, augment, their dog food. The dog has to be watched closely if you do this by a qualified vet who specializes in nutrition. Most people do not have the education level knowledge to do such a thing. I would just feed a high-quality commercial diet and don't mess with it!  
 

Keeping the pup leaner as he is growing for the first years of a giants life will make him a healthier adult dog. Giants do not finish adolescence until they are 2 or even 3 years of age depending on the bloodlines. Some at this point are still "filling out". Giants  grow very fast and their bones need enough time for lengthening and remodeling while they are growing They should not have to handle extra weight on top of all this growth.

Is your dog lean enough? lean enough means that you can feel ribs  a bit, that there have a visible "tuck" at the "waistline," and that dog's body fat does not roll from side so side when you watch them move or run.
 

You should feed a large breed dog food because is that they have a proportionally smaller digestive tract. It is this reduced digestive capacity exposes it to risks of stomach bloat and torsion. That along with deep chested dogs is why they are at high risk of this condition. Read my information about it. www.triplecrownkennel.com/bloat.html

The feeding of Giant pups.

If they do not happen to finish a meal within reasonable time usually 5 - 10 minutes, pick up the bowl and DO NOT give any more food until the next scheduled feeding. You can give small treats during training. Keep your giant on two meals a day, throughout his life, so that the stomach does not over expand with meals, which can happen if only one large meal is fed each day due to stomach size.  It is probably better to make the morning meal slightly larger than the evening meal, make the meal in early evening to assist with potty training.

Large breed dogs and small breed dogs have different energy requirements. A small breed dog's energy requirements are proportionally twice as much as those of a large breed dog.

At a recent dog show there was a breeders seminar they presented a study over 12 years. I have been reading more about it finding it very interesting. they took labs and fed one group a leaner diet and the other group a diet that was prescribed on the back of the dog food bag. The leaner dogs lived longer and were healthier as geriatric dogs having even less gray hair. Arthritis, diabetes and other geriatric heath problems were evident in the normal fed dogs while in the leaner dogs these diseases were at minimal levels and not even evident.

 

FOOD FAQ

Milk contains lactose, this enzyme lactase is required in the intestinal tract to breakdown lactose.  If the intestinal tract does not contain sufficient lactase, consumption of a high level of lactose can cause diarrhea and gas in some dogs.

Sure dogs enjoy meat. Meat is not a balanced diet. Raw meats may contain parasites, and cooked meats can be high in fat and do not contain a proper balance of nutrients. Small soft bones like in pork chops or chicken bones should never be given to dogs, they splinter in the dogs mouth or throat or intestinal tract. Bones are hollow and would spilter in the intestinal tract and can cause injury or blockages.

Raw liver, if fed daily on a large or regular basis can cause a vitamin A toxicity in dogs. This is particularly true if it is fed along with a complete and balanced diet already containing ample vitamin A.

Adding raw eggs to a dog's diet can cause a vitamin deficiency,  biotin. Raw egg whites contain avidin, an enzyme which ties up biotin making it unavailable for absorption into the body. Symptoms of this vitamin deficiency include dermatitis, loss of hair, and poor growth.

Table scraps will not provide the balanced diet which dogs require. They spoil the dog and make him not want to eat his own food waiting for more scraps.  Ideally, table scraps should never be fed.

Some raw fish can cause a deficiency of the vitamin thiamine. Symptoms of a thiamine deficiency include anorexia (complete loss of appetite), abnormal posture, weakness, seizures, and even death. Repeatedly adding raw fish to the diet of a cat is not recommended.

Salmon Poisoning a Disease that is potentially a fatal condition seen in dogs that eat certain types of raw fish. Salmon (salmonid fish) and other anadromous fish (fish that swim upstream to breed) can be infected with a parasite called Nanophyetus salmincola  and  a bacteria-like organisms called rickettsia. It is just safer not to feed the dog raw fish.