# Large Breed Puppy Food make them grow FASTER??



## FGOliveira83 (Jun 26, 2016)

Hello everyone,

I am wondering about your experience with large breed puppy foods. To my understanding these foods are supposed to make dogs who are supposed to weigh over 50lbs grow slower in order to prevent hips/joint problems.

My little guy is expected to be very big. His dad is 120 and mom is 98lbs. He came to us from the breeder on Purina One. We switched him to Orijin Large Breed Puppy and he stayed on that until about 4 months (52 LBS) He then started itching more than I thought he should (45-50 times a day) so we switched him to the ACANA fresh water fish (all life stages) His itching got worst (65-80 times a day) and he went from gaining 5 pounds a week to 3. We then switched him to a limited diet (Venison) food, Canine Caviar (all life stages) and he stayed on this food for a month and a half. We noticed a huge transformation. He smelled a lot better, his breath didn't stink, his coat got a lot better (it was pretty beat up due to all his scratching) and his itching reduced to about 4 times a day. HOWEVER, he didn't put on any weight for a month (66 pounds at 5 months).

Last week (13 August 2016) at 66 pounds, we switched him back to Orijin Large Breed and today ( 17 August 2016) he is 70 pounds! Does this have anything to do with the 85% meat content or the 38% protein? Is it just random growth spurts? Should I not be concerned about his weight right now? I don't want him to be too heavy and hurt his joints and hips. How much weight should he be putting on after 6 months?

Thank you all in advance!
Fabio


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## Cassidy's Mom (Mar 30, 2003)

FGOliveira83 said:


> How much weight should he be putting on after 6 months?


That really depends. Dogs, like people, do not all grow at the same rate, nor do they all end up at the same size once mature. That's true even within the breed, which has a 22 pound range in the male standard. 

Rather than worrying about how much he weighs, I'd look at his condition. Does he have a waist when looking down on him from above? Is there a tuck up at the abdomen when viewing him from the side? Can you easily feel his ribs without him feeling overly skinny when you run your hand down his side? If so, he's fine. 

Because he's still young, things may change fast. Puppies need as much as 1-1/2 to 2 times as much food as a adult dog of the same weight, but that slows down as he nears maturity. But some dogs will put on a lot of weight early and then slow WAY down, where others may have a more gradual increase over time. When my dogs were young I was doing a rib check every few days, and adjusting the feeding quantity as often as necessary to maintain the optimum condition.


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## ausdland (Oct 21, 2015)

You've changed his food a lot. I'd stick with one that works for him for a few months. Different food works for different dogs. Orijen seems high in protein for a growing puppy. Both of my vets and my breeder recommend feeding a kibble the first 18 months around 25% protein. I trust them. Is the itching related to chicken based food? Even if it is, it's unlikely for dogs to get food allergies before 4 years old.


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## FGOliveira83 (Jun 26, 2016)

Thank you very much for your response. I really don't like switching his food. It's a pain to find something only to have him itch non-stop and then having to research all over again. If you don't mind me asking, what did you feed your pup? I did speak to my vet about it at four months when the itching started taking off and he was the one who informed me to put him on a fish diet. However, when I switched him to the ACANA freshwater fish (the only one that had the appropriate calcium level that I found) his itching got even worst. Not sure if it was catfish or fish in general. Then again it could be environmental. We do live in a very humid area with lots of bugs. I wish there was an easier way to get to the bottom of it.

*He would literally wake up and itch 6-7 times before I even took him out to be. Stop peeing to itch, take a few steps itch again, itch before coming in the house, before getting his food, sometimes he would stop eating to itch. Then between me getting ready and leaving for work he would itch around 25 times. When returning from work around 4pm and 930pm (his bed time) he would itch another 45-50 times, and this is just what I actually counted, so I can take to the vet. The medicated shampoo didn't work and the antibiotics didn't work. What are your experiences with vaccination? Could it be that during his first 4 months, every vet visit included at least three different shots and he gets this all in one heart guard and flea chewy...too much chemicals maybe?

I really appreciate your feedback! 

Fabio


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## FGOliveira83 (Jun 26, 2016)

Thank you very much for your response. I might just put him back on the Canine Caviar. He is as far from a picky eater I've ever seen and has yet to turn down any type of food. He does go crazy for the Orijin. We can see a waist line, but it was a lot more apperant with the Canine Caviar. So apparent I thought he was underweight, but we could't see his ribs or anything (we could feel it). I'll see if I can take a picture of him this afternoon and post it for feedback. I know for sure he's not overweight right now, it's just a concern in how much weight he puts on with Orijin versus all the other foods he's been on. 

Thank you kindly,

Fabio


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