Today we are going to focus on one of the frequent mistakes in feeding large breed puppies —remember that it is called dogs From large breeds to dogs that weigh between 25 and 50 kilos in adulthood, giant breeds are considered dogs over 50 kilos— Keep reading!
Excess supplementation in the puppy’s diet
Most people believe that it is necessary to give calcium or vitamin supplements to dogs, especially large breeds, as this will make them stronger. This constitutes one of the most frequent errors in the diet of these dogs and causes bone growth disorders. Some of the aftermath of this excess supplementation They are:
It is true that several causal factors intervene in these diseases, the main one being Genetic heritage of the animal.
However, the nutrition plays a very important role in its appearance as well. Numerous studies have been carried out showing that if one is given diet too rich in calories and calcium for puppies of large or giant breeds, its growth rate is accelerating.
This leads to the bone formation is too rapid and that there are stages in which the cortex of the long bones, which is the hardest part, is not thick enough to support the remarkable increase in weight in rapid growth. That’s how increases the predisposition for different types of problems to appearsuch as the diseases mentioned.
Results of studies with breeds with a high genetic probability of suffering from dysplasia
To perform the next study Puppies with a high genetic probability of hip dysplasia have been taken and separated into two groups.
In it group A they were given an unlimited amount of food and the other, B Group it was restricted to two-thirds.
The result was that after several months it was found that those who ate more grew faster and presented significantly greater bone abnormalities than the other group.
It is important to note that the adult size of a dog is strongly determined by genetics, and that if it is well fed it will sooner or later reach its ideal size. These same results have been systematically repeated in all similar tests that have been carried out.
Bottom Line on Supplementing Your Large or Giant Breed Puppy
if you have a large breed puppy you must give him a quantity of quality feed that allows a moderate rate of growth. For this reason it is important to follow the guidelines and indications of a veterinarian or expert. Frequent visits to the vet will help you to know the state of your puppy’s growth.
