Feeding Your Big Baby: Dietary Concerns for Large and Giant Breed Puppies

Large puppies, and particularly giant breed puppies, are at risk for severe and devastating bone disorders if they are fed too much during their growth and maturation years. Proud new parents of large and giant breed puppies need to keep dietary and feeding considerations in mind to maintain a healthy, slow and steady growth rate.

While it may be tempting to feed big puppies a large diet to keep their bellies full and plump, the results can be disastrous. Too much food, and extra dietary supplementation, can cause a rapid growth rate in puppies, which may result in painful conditions such as osteochondrosis dissecans (a joint disorder), hypertrophic osteodystrophy (a bone disease), and wobbler syndrome (cervical vertebral instability).

To make sure that large and giant breed puppies are fed the right type of diet, and the correct amount of food, you should choose a balanced diet for your puppy, feed her the recommended amount of food according to size and breed and pay close attention to her body condition.

The Best Diet

Large breed puppies should be fed a diet that has been designed to suit their unique nutritional needs. Commercial puppy foods for large breed puppies are available, but if that's your choice, you should only feed your pups a brand of puppy food which meets the standards set by the American Association of Feed Control Officials (AAFCO). Large breed puppy foods which meet AAFCO standards will include the statement: "Meets the nutritional requirements of puppies established by the AAFCO."

If you choose to feed your puppies a commercial puppy diet (adult formulas should never be fed to pups), no extra supplementation is needed and may even be harmful. For example, unnecessary calcium supplementation can cause rapid bone growth and put the puppy at risk for the disorders mentioned above.

Large breed puppies can be fed a home diet, but if that's your choice, you must work closely with your veterinarian to design a diet with the correct amounts of nutrition and the right types of foods. Linda Arndt, Canine Nutritional Consultant and founder of GreatDaneLady.com, does not recommend feeding a raw diet to giant breed puppies because she feels it is too difficult for pet owners to assess the caloric consumption and nutritional needs of growing giant breed pups. You should consult with your veterinarian and breed recommendations to determine when to transition your pup to adult food.

The Right Amount of Food

The right amount of food to provide for large and giant breed pups will continually change according to their stage of growth. You should use feeding guidelines established for your dog's breed and recommended feeding amounts listed by puppy weight and size on commercial puppy diet foods. The Merck Veterinary Manual recommends feeding puppies up to 6 months of age 3 times a day and feeding puppies 6 to 12 months of age 2 times a day.

The Optimum Body Condition

Be mindful of your dog's body condition score (BCS), which part of a 9-point scoring system determined by: checking your dog's rib cage, examining his profile, and looking down at his back from overhead.

To prevent rapid growth in large and giant breed puppies, food amounts should be adjusted to maintain a body condition score of 4.

At a body condition score of 4, the puppy's ribs can be easily palpated by a light touch and the puppy will have a tucked in abdomen and waist. An illustration for the body condition score scale is available here and here.