Large Breed Puppy Food or not

[Andi, Lilly and Levi]

Lilly went to the vet - getting her shots.  The vet did not try to push a specific food but did state I need to have Lilly on a large puppy formula because it is not good if she grows to fast.  This is the second time I have been told by my vet to just make sure food is large breed puppy food - vet did not push Science Diet or even mention a specific brand of food.  I know on another dicussion I posted when I was trying to determine food and I stated Wellness Large Breed puppy - I was advised that I did not need large breed.  I do not know what to do - I am at the point I need to make a decision because I have began the process of adding in Wellness Puppy Food to the Purina Pro Plan so I can switch her to Wellness and get her off Purina Pro plan.  HELP!  I do not know what to do ?

[Karen, Jasper and Jackdoodle]

Well, you don't need a large breed food but if it makes you feel better to feed one, it won't do any harm. 

If you look at the nutritional profiles for the large breed and the regular puppy foods, there is almost no difference between them. One percent more or less protein cannot make your puppy "grow too fast". 

The thing is that the vet is almost never going to agree with our advice on food here in this group, because the vets receive no nutritional education except what Hills and Purina salesman tell them. So you are going to have to make a decision at some point to either take advice on food from the vet, or not. Otherwise, if you ask the vet and you ask us here, you're going to be saying "I don't know what to do" a lot, lol. 

[Myra Williams]

Go with Blue Buffalo.  

[Karen, Jasper and Jackdoodle]

I don't think the question is which brand, it's a question of going with large breed versus regular. 

[Andi, Lilly and Levi]

Thanks Karen.  I appreciate the advice, it has been 10 years since I have had a puppy and it seems that a lot has changed.  The vet asked me what type of food I was feeding her.  I appreciate your help!

[Karen, Jasper and Jackdoodle]

How large is Lilly expected to be as an adult? 

[Andi, Lilly and Levi]

The breeder states she should be between 45 to 65 lbs

[Karen, Jasper and Jackdoodle]

Well, that's a big range, but with mixed breed dogs, they really never know. 

The thing is, the rate of growth between a puppy who's going to be 45 lbs and a puppy who's going to be 65 lbs is the same.  Both of them are going to reach full skeletal growth between 9 & 12 months of age. If you look at any 12 month old Golden Retriever or Lab, their bones are as long at 12 months as they're ever going to be. On the other hand, giant breeds, dogs who are going to be over 90 lbs as adults, have a slower growth rate. At 12 months old, a St. Bernard or a Great Dane is not as tall as he will be at 18 months. 

The big danger is for them to gain too much weight too fast, which puts undue stress on their joints while the bones are still growing, and is believed to contribute to hip dysplasia. But gaining weight has more to do with calories than with the exact formula of food. So if the fear is that the puppy not get too heavy too fast, all you have to do is monitor their weight.