Can anyone explain the difference (details plz) between small breed puppy food and large breed puppy food? Is it the digestible protein or fat content? Or is there basically no difference if you feed high quality food?
Small breed puppy foods are formulated with smaller breeds in mind, meaning it is usually more nutrient dense since small breeds can only eat so much and pieces are smaller for smaller mouths. Large breed puppy foods are designed for slower growth and different ratios of nutrients….but since this list usually frowns on discussing commercial dog foods, I don’t want to offend anyone by discussing it any more detail.
There isn’t such a thing as “high quality” if you are referring to processed foods. Regardless of protein or fat percentages, the ingredients are all wrong for a carnivore.
But, to answer your question….it depends! 
Not very helpful, huh?
Seriously, there doesn’t seem to be any standard. I just compared 6 brands. Some are higher in fat and protein for the large breed foods, some for the small breed foods.
Any breed, any size requires lots of good quality protein and fat for proper growth, little to no carbs and not excessive amounts of calcium and other nutrients….of course you can only find that when feeding raw.
As I recall the large breed puppy foods are formulated more to do with growth and bone needs of larger breeds. The more difficult stand is which breeds are considered ‘large’; it is subjective with some thinking any dog larger than a miniature poodle is large while more canine knowledge seem to consider large breed as those above naturally 100+# at healthy adult weight.
I do not consider a Golden Retriever a large breed dog yet when I got my girl her former vet had the previous owner feeding her large breed puppy food; I immediately changed her diet and explained I consider large breed dogs more in line with Mastiff or Great Dane.
It seems all Group Members do care and love our pets, and joined this Group to exchange ideas and concerns without degrading of each others thoughts or beliefs . The Group description states this Group does support raw feeding.
In the beginning I thought that meant while we all might discuss different foods, I should be prepared for those who also fed raw. It took me a while to realize food topics other than raw acceptance are generally frowned upon & discouraged in group topics.
I explain this as a matter of fact and do not wish to offend any one, therefore, while the Group supports raw feeding, if you are not following that diet, please discuss this issue with your friends and vets for their opinion.
I think that foods marketed for large breed, small breed, senior, puppy, sensitive stomach, etc are all gimmicks, like Royal Canine marketing different foods for different breeds! Ridiculous.
Why would a Labrador Retriever have different nutritional requirements than a boxer? I am always amazed by those who feel that they have found the ‘perfect’ food for their dog, because the very label has a photo of their breed on it and says it was made specifically for that kind of dog.
Some of these ‘formulas’ may have a few minor differences, like glucosomine (not enough to make a difference) in a large breed formula or smaller bites in a small breed formula. If you compare the labels, they are all very similar.
Pet food companies love to dupe the consumer into believing that their food is best. Though I do feel that some kibbles are worse than others, none are appropriate for a dog. They simply do not have the proper enzymes or the type of digestive tract that is meant to process all of those grains and carbohydrates.??
Its pretty much all the same – species Inappropriate!
A raw feeding plan is best for puppies and dogs, who are carnivores;
http://www.rawlearning.com/rawfaq.html
http://www.rawlearning.com/supplementmyths.html
http://www.rawfed.com/myths/index.html
http://rawfeddogs.net/Recipes
Raw is the ultimate evolutionary diet, with nutrients that are optimally bio-available, since they aren’t denatured by cooking or interfere with the dog’s digestive process.
http://rawfeddogs.net/FAQlist
Tags:
carnivores,
dog foods,
dog health questions,
dog nutrition,
eating habits,
glucosamine,
Golden Retriever,
great dane,
kibble,
large breed dogs,
large breed puppy food,
natural diet,
puppy foods,
raw feeding,
senior dog
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