Large breed or no?

[juliefurry]

We recently got a puppy from some friends and we don't know how big he is going to be when he is full grown. My vet said he will probably be about 50 lbs maybe a hair bit smaller. My question is because I have all my other dogs on large breed formula would it hurt him to also be on large breed if he doesn't grow up to be 50 pounds? The shelter he came from said he was a husky/collie cross. The mother is about 45 pounds I would say (and I've seen her in real life). Should he not get the large breed if he isn't going to be 50 pounds (maybe 40-45 pounds). I've been feeding him large breed formula and now I am worried that maybe he shouldn't be eating it. Will it hurt his growth to eat the large breed if he doesn't grow up to be 50 pounds?

[Mordy]

it won't hurt him, but you could just as well put all of your dogs on an adult formula that is suitable for all lifestages, rather than feeding a specific large-breed food.

[juliefurry]

I plan on it but I have to finish out the bag that I have for them now.

[Fran27]

I really wouldn't worry about it, and finish whatever food you have now. 50 lbs is really not that far from a large dog. Worst case, he won't grow as fast, but as long as he has a balanced diet, it's fine.

But yes, definitely switch to adult food after, it makes life so much easier

[juliefurry]

well the food I have now is for puppies 50 pounds or more, but yeah I will switch to an adult food when it's finished. Do all brands of food have an adult food suitable for all stages of life? I feed Eagle Pack to them now, would they have a food suitable for all stages of life?

[Fran27]

I think most adult foods are. But better check with Mordy first

[Mordy]

Originally Posted by Fran27

Worst case, he won't grow as fast, but as long as he has a balanced diet, it's fine.

actually, not growing at maximum potential is preferable for any dog, not just large breeds. large breed puppies overall benefit more from slow growth, since they have a lot more growing to do in the same time frame than those of small(er) breeds, with higher risk of orthopedic problems, but it's a good thing for any size puppy.

Originally Posted by juliefurry

Do all brands of food have an adult food suitable for all stages of life? I feed Eagle Pack to them now, would they have a food suitable for all stages of life?

no, not all brands do. you absolutely must look for the designation "for all lifestages" vs. "for maintenance" on the bag. off hand i can think of two examples where adult foods are not "all lifestages" - chicken soup adult and eagle pack duck & oatmeal.

[juliefurry]

but there is an eagle pack formula that I can use for all my puppies that is made for all life stages though, right? My husky is on Innova and she eats adult because she's an adult but the pups I've just been feeding the Eagle Pack large breed puppy formula.

[Mordy]

yep, for example the holistic chicken is an all-lifestages formula. but you really might as well put all of them on the innova adult.