Big or small - you love them all
the same. But while love is one-size-fits-all when it comes to dogs, health and
nutritional needs aren't. Large and giant breeds have different dietary needs
than small breeds, especially as puppies. Nuvet lab reviews help ensure a
healthy dog for life.
Key Differences
Definitions vary for the weight
at which a breed is considered large, but most studies and articles land
somewhere in the 50-pound range as the dividing line. This is the fully-grown
adult weight. Dogs in the large or giant categories are at greater risk for
orthopedic diseases like hip dysplasia and osteoarthritis. Many of these
conditions develop during puppyhood and result from overly rapid growth and
nutritional imbalances.
Genetics, not appetite, will
ultimately determine the full-grown size of a dog and this can take up to 18
months in large and giant breeds, compared to 12 to 15 months for small and
medium breeds. Therefore, too much weight too early causes stress and improper
development of the joints and bones in large breed puppies.
Proper Nutrition
Smaller breeds have higher
metabolism rates and as such require more calories to maintain their optimum
weight. In general, large breed dogs require fewer calories per pound of body
weight, even as puppies. Overconsumption of calories in these young dogs not
only results in obesity, but also leads to growth that outpaces the animal's
skeletal development.
Large breed dogs also have a
lower tolerance of calcium fluctuations in their diets. Too much or too little
calcium can be tolerated by smaller dogs, but the variation can cause stunted
growth or osteoporosis in large breed puppies. An average calcium level between
1.0% and 1.5% is recommended. Derived from oyster shell, the natural,
water-soluble source of calcium found in NuVet Plus is ideal for this purpose,
since dogs of all sizes can absorb the amount of calcium needed and expel the
rest.
Feeding a Large Breed Dog
Large breed puppies should eat a
low-calorie diet with the proper percentage of calcium. If you purchase a
commercial brand dog food, make sure it is formulated for large breed puppies.
Adult dog foods often have lower calorie contents, but are high in calcium,
making them inappropriate for large breed puppies. Don't free feed your puppy,
as overeating is likely.
Transition your puppy to adult,
large breed food between 6 and 10 months of age. As your dog continues to age,
consider a supplement like Nuvet lab reviews to help combat the joint and bone
diseases so common in large breeds. Know more about dog’s diet plans and
functioning please visit us.
