Interesting. It's amazing how opinions change over the years. As we get more info on growth and nutrition how we feed our puppies will change also.To those who feed adult food, read this article written by a vet who is also a Newf owner:
http://www.lgd.org/library/Optimal feeding of large breed puppies.pdf
I feed a large breed puppy food with a maximum Calcium level of 1.4% until about a year of age.Interesting. It's amazing how opinions change over the years. As we get more info on growth and nutrition how we feed our puppies will change also.
How do you feed your growing puppies?
Most vets have about an hour of nutritional instruction at vet school. Mostly their recommendations are not correct. Just because he owns a newf does not make him any more knowledgeable either. One of the worst vets in my area is a newf owner too. I would go with the many years of experience from knowledgeable breeders. Once the pup is a year old and one realizes it has been fed the wrong growth food, the damage is done and cannot be reversed. I would rather go with a more conservative approach. The owner has to learn to read the bag and understand what is in a food, such as the calcium/phosphorus level, calories, protein level, etc.To those who feed adult food, read this article written by a vet who is also a Newf owner:
The vet in question is Jennifer Larsen. Her bio at http://nutrition.vetmed.ucdavis.edu/faculty_staff.cfm reads: "Dr. Larsen holds Bachelor's and Master's degrees in Animal Science and a Doctorate degree in Veterinary Medicine from the University of California, Davis. She completed one year in local private practice before accomplishing a clinical nutrition residency at UCD. In 2007, Dr. Larsen attained Diplomate status from the American College of Veterinary Nutrition, and completed a PhD in Nutritional Biology in 2008. She is an Assistant Professor of Clinical Nutrition at the Veterinary Medical Teaching Hospital at the University of California, Davis and does clinical nutritional consulting through the VMTH Nutrition Support Service." (My note, she is also active within the Newf Club of Northern California, her first Newf earned a VN title and she is well thought of within the NCNC.)Most vets have about an hour of nutritional instruction at vet school. Mostly their recommendations are not correct. Just because he owns a newf does not make him any more knowledgeable either.
What Sierra Newfs said plus the fact that she references several studies on giant breeds that are the basis of her recommendations.Most vets have about an hour of nutritional instruction at vet school. Mostly their recommendations are not correct. Just because he owns a newf does not make him any more knowledgeable either. One of the worst vets in my area is a newf owner too. I would go with the many years of experience from knowledgeable breeders. Once the pup is a year old and one realizes it has been fed the wrong growth food, the damage is done and cannot be reversed. I would rather go with a more conservative approach. The owner has to learn to read the bag and understand what is in a food, such as the calcium/phosphorus level, calories, protein level, etc.
Thanks to you and Ginny for these links and information!The vet in question is Jennifer Larsen. Her bio at http://nutrition.vetmed.ucdavis.edu/faculty_staff.cfm reads: "Dr. Larsen holds Bachelor's and Master's degrees in Animal Science and a Doctorate degree in Veterinary Medicine from the University of California, Davis. She completed one year in local private practice before accomplishing a clinical nutrition residency at UCD. In 2007, Dr. Larsen attained Diplomate status from the American College of Veterinary Nutrition, and completed a PhD in Nutritional Biology in 2008. She is an Assistant Professor of Clinical Nutrition at the Veterinary Medical Teaching Hospital at the University of California, Davis and does clinical nutritional consulting through the VMTH Nutrition Support Service." (My note, she is also active within the Newf Club of Northern California, her first Newf earned a VN title and she is well thought of within the NCNC.)
It is important to consider the source of information and in this case I'm very comfortable with Dr. Larsen on the topic of nutrition, particularly when it pertains to Newfs. I agree with you on the importance of reading and understanding the information on the label. With the myriad of commercial dog foods available, blanket statements just don't cut it.
A more recent version from Dr. Larsen that I've shared previously is at: https://s3.amazonaws.com/assets.pro...44e1a1036fa4f52e03ee/filePV0510_Nutrition.pdf