Special Diet Needs for Large & Giant-Breed Puppies

Published by
min read

Find food that fits your pet’s needs

Find a dog food that fits your pet’s needs

Find a cat food that fits your pet’s needs

Dog images

Large and giant breed dogs — Great Danes, German shepherds, Labrador retrievers and the like — have different nutritional needs than smaller breeds. All puppies are born with their bones still developing, but large breed puppies are more susceptible to developmental bone and joint disease during their rapid growth phase to 1 year of age. In fact, large breeds reach 50 percent of their body weight at around 5 months of age. Smaller breeds reach 50 percent of their body weight at around 4 months of age.

The growth rates of all puppies are dependent on the food that they eat. Puppies should be fed to grow at an average, rather than a maximum, growth rate. Compared to smaller-sized puppies, large breed puppies need restricted levels of fat and calcium to moderate their rate of growth. They’ll still reach their full-grown size, just over a longer period of time, which will result in healthy development of bones and joints for these breeds.

Two key nutrients that should be decreased for large breed puppies are fat (and total calories) and calcium:

  • Fat: High fat/calorie intake causes rapid weight gain, and bones/muscles aren’t developed enough to support the excessive body weight. Controlling the fat level and total calories in the food for these puppies may help reduce the risk of developmental bone and joint problems.
  • Calcium: Excessive calcium intake increases the likelihood of skeletal problems. It is also recommended that calcium supplements not be fed with any commercial pet food for growth.

Hill’s Large Breed products are designed to help large breed dogs live long, quality lives. We limit the levels of calcium and fat in Hill’s Science Diet Puppy Large Breed dog food, but we do add high levels of certain nutrients that have been shown to benefit big dogs — like omega-3 fatty acids, L-carnitine and the highest levels of the antioxidant vitamins E+C versus all leading brands. These nutrients help maintain healthy joints and cartilage because large breed dogs are more likely to put stress on their joints due to their size. Mastiffs, Labs ,and all the other large and giant breeds that we love can benefit from precisely balanced nutrition to live their lives to the fullest.

Related Articles

  • Antioxidants: Fueling your cats fight against free radicals

    Learn more about free radicals and how antioxidants help provide some protection against free radicals and how Hills pet foods makes a difference.
  • Planning a Safe Holiday for Your Dog

    Pet food labels provide basic and limited information on ingredients and nutrient levels. We believe other considerations must be recognized when deciding on which food to feed your pet.
  • DHA and Why It's Important for Your Puppy

    Learn what DHA is and why it is important in the development of your puppy's brain, eyes, and central nervous system. Learn what food's contain DHA.
  • Proteins

    Dogs running To make a protein, amino acids are linked together in a long chain. The chain is then bundled into to a three-dimensional structure, like a tangled ball of yarn.

Related products