Like Us
Follow @dogster
Google +1 Subscribe to our YouTube Channel Contact Us
Forums Home » Puppy Place
GO!

Question about Large Breed Puppy Food

Got a new, young, furry love in your life? This is the place for you to ask all of your questions-big or small! Just remember that you are receiving advice from other dog owners and lovers... not professionals. If you have a major problem, always seek the advice of a vet or behaviorist! Most important is to remember to have fun with your new fur baby.

  
Dr. Watson

Not a wiener- dawg!		 
 
Barked: Sat Jan 12, '13 11:26am PST 
I'm also going to ask this question here because we are getting few answers in Food and Nutrition. A friend of mine has adopted a mixed breed puppy. We know for sure there is some mastiff & lab & maybe some pit. She has decided on a good brand of food, but has some questions.
Many foods provide guidelines based on the adult size of the dog, but she won't know how big he is going to get for awhile yet. She does not want to overfeed, but does not want to underfeed either.
So...is there a way to figure out the optimum amount to feed?
Please note..she is an experienced dog owner, so no food suggestions. She also knows about calcium & phosphorous levels. She is just confused about the amount/calories. big grin

Thanks in advance.
my posts | my page | msg me | my family's posts | gift me | become pals
 [notify]
MIKA&KAI

Akita Pals- Always.
 
 
Barked: Sat Jan 12, '13 11:37am PST 
I would try for a middle ground between the adult weight of the lab and mastiff and use the maximum ammount. If the pup is getting too much it won't finish it,too little,it will still be hungry and looking for more. I wish I could offer a better suggestion but that is the method I used for my pups and adjusted up or down based on appetite. They are both Akitas. My female needed to be adjusted down but her adult size is very small 24 inches at the shoulder and 75 pounds. My male needed to be adjusted up a bit but he is huge at 28 inches and 120+ pounds neither is overweight and both self regulate their food intake. Hope this helps.wishes
my posts | my page | msg me | gift me | become pals
 [notify]
Quincy

We don't doodle!
 
 
Barked: Sat Jan 12, '13 12:28pm PST 
Mika, your way would NEVER work for a lab or lab mix... they will eat ALL you put down for them and still look for more. They do not know how to self-regulate, food is their life.
A friend's lab was left in a garage with a 50 lb bag of dog food, which he promptly ripped open and ate... the WHOLE BAG. He ate until he couldn't hold anymore, vomited it up and then continued eating from the bag, and on and on until the bag was empty. Needless to say, he nearly died from dehydration due to the food absorbing too much fluid out of his system, and this is a typical, TRUE example of how labs eat, sadly, not the only one in my experience.
This was an adult, puppies would be even worse!
my posts | my page | msg me | my family's posts | gift me | become pals
 [notify]

Dr. Watson

Not a wiener- dawg!		 
 
Barked: Sat Jan 12, '13 12:56pm PST 
What would you suggest, Quincy? smile
my posts | my page | msg me | my family's posts | gift me | become pals
 [notify]
Quincy

We don't doodle!
 
 
Barked: Sat Jan 12, '13 2:17pm PST 
I answered this in the LBP food question... wasn't that the same question???
Oh well, I copied and pasted it here:
"I always do the "watch the ribs and the poop" method with any puppy. I find that the first thing to go with too much is the poop...it gets really soft and mushy. Over the longer term, I keep an eye on their ribs. In a puppy, I want to easily see at least the last three or so.
Quincy has gone up and down with the amount he gets pretty constantly! Half of him is from a different line than my usual slow growing ones and he keeps having HUGE growth spurts so I find myself not giving him enough, then he looks tubby so I have to back off.
At six months he is the size that my males were at 12 - 13 months. Ultimately, he should be the same size as they were at maturity, around 2 1/2 - 3 years."
my posts | my page | msg me | my family's posts | gift me | become pals
 [notify]
Dr. Watson

Not a wiener- dawg!		 
 
Barked: Sat Jan 12, '13 3:11pm PST 
Oh sorry Quincy, yes you did answer it over there. Now it's gotten through my dense brain twice.
my posts | my page | msg me | my family's posts | gift me | become pals
 [notify]
MIKA&KAI

Akita Pals- Always.
 
 
Barked: Mon Jan 28, '13 8:54am PST 
Quincy,
Thanks for the info. I will keep that in mind. I know several lab people but they have never been my forte, I simply do not have the space or energy to keep up with them.way to go
my posts | my page | msg me | gift me | become pals
 [notify]
Shiver Me- Timbers- "Charlie"

My Little Dog, a- heartbeat at my- feet.<3		 
 
Barked: Tue Jan 29, '13 6:54am PST 
Quincy - Oh boy, have I ever learned THAT! Ria is part Lab, part Border Collie and she eats like she's never eaten before EVERY time I feed her! She hits her food like it's prey, wolfs it down as fast as she can(I actually had to turn a small dish upside down and put it in her dish to help to slow her down), and still looks for more right after and would eat all of Charlie's too if she could. She's a pest when it comes to food. I'm sure if I left my bag of dog food where she could get it, she'd tear into it like your friends Lab did. I'm almost worried about her starting to resource guard with the way she is over food, and of potentially causing herself to twist her stomach. A lot of the time, I end up hand feeding it to her, or tossing some on the ground a few at a time to slow her down.
my posts | my page | msg me | my family's posts | gift me | become pals
 [notify]