Thinking of changing my dogs food. He is too small for his current food.

baloneysmom

baloneysmom

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Right now he is on Eukanuba Puppy food for large breeds 51 LBS +. I am not sure if he will hit 51 lbs… He is now 40 lbs. 8.5 months old. Got him about 2.5 months ago and he was 32 lbs.

Do you really think he will hit 51+ pounds before 1 year? Or should I change his food? No point putting him on specialty food if he not special in that way LOL. Before we got him we though “hmmm German Shepherd / Doberman, probably will hit 51 +†but heâ€[emoji]8482[/emoji]s turning out to be smaller then expected.

Thanks all in advanced for your responses.
 
arlyn

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Even if he doesn't reach 51+, I think there is probably no harm in a large breed formula.

Sharky is knowledgable here, but it is my understanding that the large breed foods are formulated to support areas that larger dogs have issues with, namely, joint health and heart health.
Your boy certainly looks like a shepard mix and would probably benefit from the joint support as he is probably going to be just as at risk for displaysia as any larger dog.

I would PM Sharky, she would probably have more insight than I
 
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baloneysmom

baloneysmom

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Right! Thanks so much. I never thought of it that way at all. Almost all German Shepherds I’ve ever known have had joint issues when they were older. Since he is mostly Shepherd looking he is probably at risk for that.

Thanks so much! Didn’t even think of that, I was just thinking size. Better to start earlier then later with these things.

Any other advice would be appreciated. Ill PM sharky when I get a moment (shhh, I am actually working hard today LOL)

Thanks again!
 
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mom of 4

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Large breed dogs aren't fully grown until 18 - 36 months. The idea behind the large breed food is to prevent them from growing too fast and causing joint/leg problems.

Riley, my younger OES, just turned 3 in May. She has filled out in the last year, not gotten taller.
 
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faith's_mom

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He will be fine to use that food; even if he doesn't necessarily grow to be a large breed, he IS a combination of breeds that sometimes get joint problems when given foods that encourage faster growth than their joint structures can handle.

As long as he is fat and sassy, and full of energy that a typical puppy should be full of, he will be fine on his current food choice.
 
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I would change him to adult. If you keep a large breed on puppy food too long their bones will overgrow and cause many problems. I switched my Golden to regular food at about 5 months old, she did great.
 
sharky

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Originally Posted by K.J.

I would change him to adult. If you keep a large breed on puppy food too long their bones will overgrow and cause many problems. I switched my Golden to regular food at about 5 months old, she did great.
Click to expand...
that is actually a old info ... NOW foods are designed to maintain a PROPER growth pattern with balanced calcium and phosphorus .. MANY good breeders of large and giant breeds actually keep the pups on puppy food till about age 2... reg foods can actually stunt growth as most large breed foods have the EXACT opposite RATIO ...
If you are feeding a " regular" formula not a large breed then yes you can move a pup to adult at about 8-10 months

Truthfully I would likely move to a normal puppy as most dogs need large breed food when theyll be over 70 lbs ..this is my opinion from my research
 
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baloneysmom

baloneysmom

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Originally Posted by sharky

Truthfully I would likely move to a normal puppy as most dogs need large breed food when theyll be over 70 lbs ..this is my opinion from my research
Click to expand...
Im sorry i didnt understand this
. Do you mean I should move to just regular puppy food for my little guy?

Thanks!
 
sharky

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Originally Posted by silvionc

Im sorry i didnt understand this
. Do you mean I should move to just regular puppy food for my little guy?

Thanks!
Click to expand...
yes that is what I mean
at me for not making it clear
 
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faith's_mom

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Labs, which are smaller than her 'crossbreed' commonly have joint issues due to too quick of growth, so many breeders feed their young dogs large breed puppy, to prevent this. I think you will be fine either way
 
EnzoLeya

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I wish I could help you out a little more, Thor hit his full weight by 6 months. A whopping 5lbs!
I kept him on puppy food till he was 8 months, then I switched to Royal Canin Chihuahua food. He seems to like it, but I have to mix it with Purina Puppy Chow to keep some fat on him. He doesn't eat a whole lot, but he eats his food with the purina, well, picks at it.

I don't see any harm in keeping him on the large breed food. The only reason I used puppy chow for so long was because poor little Thor struggles with the size of the kernels. You shouldn't have to worry about his joints or legs growing too fast. That's more of a large dog breed problem with puppy food.
 
sharky

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Originally Posted by EnzoLeya

I wish I could help you out a little more, Thor hit his full weight by 6 months. A whopping 5lbs!
I kept him on puppy food till he was 8 months, then I switched to Royal Canin Chihuahua food. He seems to like it, but I have to mix it with Purina Puppy Chow to keep some fat on him. He doesn't eat a whole lot, but he eats his food with the purina, well, picks at it.

I don't see any harm in keeping him on the large breed food. The only reason I used puppy chow for so long was because poor little Thor struggles with the size of the kernels. You shouldn't have to worry about his joints or legs growing too fast. That's more of a large dog breed problem with puppy food.
Click to expand...
May I ask why you are using a food with LESS fat and protein to keep up the wt??? If the RC is not keeping his wt up you may need to look at puppy that is all stage
.. preferable would be a 30/20 formula
 
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mikaljackson

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I have a two month old bullmistiff name is jim , ill feed him in morning with milk and in the evening with ground beef and rice which is good source of nutrition but should be mixed with high quality commercial puppy food to ensure the dog gets all the nutrition it needs.
 
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