Puppy Chow!!! - Page 1

What would be the right amount of protien for a puppy? I have her on Timberwolf Southwest Chicken and Herbs which is 26% protien. Ive been looking at Innova large breed puppy which is 24%. Any advice would be outstanding. Thanks !

Mose, You want to stick with a 26% or LESS protein containing food until her bones are finished growing (somewhere between 12-20 months) to ensure proper time is allowed for slow growth. I suggest removing any pup from "puppy" food at 12-16 weeks, and stick to an "all life stages" food. If you search the messageboard here for "food" or different types of food you are thinking of feeding, you'll likely have a lot of reading to do. Good luck with your little one! :)

why less protein? This has never made good sense to me. One wants to balance muscle development with skeletal growth. Why do most people think lowering protein is an option? Not trying to be oppositional, truly wanting an answer. Thanks.

It is believed that the higher protein also has other higher levels of minerals and all cause much faster growth.. we do want our pups especially to grow slowly, thats really why raw feeding is so good.. they do grow very slowly and its much easier to keep them on the lean side.. Also important is not having roly poly fat balls of puppies, the problems begin very early....

Despite what people think about RC 24 it's not a good food as it contains too much soy. Soy is a allergen. Foods that contain "beet pulp" cause a lot of stess on dogs too they can itch and scratch like crazy when fed a feed with this ingredient. We found a lot of dogs are allergic to "flax seed" too. I have one female that can't handle the flax seed she'll chew on herself non stop. I think raw is the best one can do but there are foods out there that are good. Canidae "All Stages" is a nice kibble at a reasonable price and the dogs do well on it. It sells for $31.95 for a 40 pound bag in my area. Birdy...

Despite what people think about RC 24 it's not a good food as it contains too much soy. Soy is a allergen. Foods that contain "beet pulp" cause a lot of stess on dogs too they can itch and scratch like crazy when fed a feed with this ingredient. We found a lot of dogs are allergic to "flax seed" too. I have one female that can't handle the flax seed she'll chew on herself non stop. I think raw is the best one can do but there are foods out there that are good. Canidae "All Stages" is a nice kibble at a reasonable price and the dogs do well on it. It sells for $31.95 for a 40 pound bag in my area. Birdy...

I really have a tendency to disagree with the general populous on the protein thing. If you think logically about what carnivores eat - it's MOSTLY PROTEIN! Some would love to think our dogs (if in the wild and running with a pack) would pass up a wild rabbit or other meat source and stop to eat berries, beets, carrots and potatoes instead for good carbohydrate burst of energy sources, but the truth is - THEY WANT MEAT - which is protein and fat. And their pups want regurgitated MEAT - which is protein and fat broken down by their digestive juices. I know they would chew on grass and bark off of sticks and an occasional berry, etc., but I've yet to see my dogs choose corn on the cob over a big chunk of raw meat! Maybe you should just feed less of the high protein food and don't let them pig out and eat more than they need instead of taking away their protein. And when it comes to growth, each individual grows differently. Some shoot up fast and some have slow steady growth - this isn't just due to the food.

I think the low protein for large breed puppies thing is a load of crap made up by major manufacturers as a ploy to sell dogfood that is cheaper to make (protein is expensive) for more money. I want my pups to grow plenty of muscle for the work that lays ahead of them. In the US I feed them Eukanuba Premium Performance or Small Breed Puppy formula: 30-32% Protein. In Europe I prefer Royal Canin AGR. SS

I like high protein for pups too. I also recommend Eukanuba SMALL breed puppy foods to my puppy buyers. Keep the protein high and the calcium : phosphorus at normal levels. NO SUPPLEMENTING with additional vitamins.

I'm not one to take the protein away either. Just feed them less. My boy was a fat rolly polly thing when he got here. Was on puppy food for about 3 weeks to 11 weeks old, until it was gone and at 12 weeks eating what the rest of my dogs eat. The fat belly is gone and the muscle is already coming along. He looks great. I started my litter on raw and they looked awesome. Switched them to raw/28% protein dog food at 7 weeks. Was affriad they would turn up their noses at bag food if they came up on all raw. Wasn't sure what the buyeres would feed. All worked out fine. Nature knows best and with what carnivors eat, how can we think taking what they get in the wild away is better? I'm more afraid of hindering development than feeding what they need.