Wow, did you know this??

so when do you switch food for small puppies? Matisse is almost 5 months old and still on puppy food, is this okay? when should i switch him to adult food?

Agreed.

Its really not a smart idea to lie to your vet... I totally understand your problem... but what if down the line your dog has a problem related to the food and the vet doesnt even know what the dog is really eating? it will be harder for them to help you. Honestly, if your vet cant see your side... I would look for a new vet, one who respects your opinion... teddy is our dog and you have every right to feed him whatever you want. Good Luck...Elissa.

Exactly. Never listen to a vet concerning what food is best. Ask breeders and enthusiasts.

Though it is important to not over-feed a dog, I don't think a particular variety will stunt the growth process substantially enough to improve hip/joint health later in life. I'd just work to keep the dog in the ideal weight range.

I wonder if anyone has found studies and actual proof?

It seems to have started with Danes, Saints and Newfies, the idea that they need restricted exercise, no jumping, and can't have puppy food. Then it was GSDs and labs, and now its BCs. Meanwhile I haven't actually seen anything backing it all up.

The research and info is out there, you just need to look for it. Tons of studies have been done on this subject, at least for giant breeds.

Here's a place to start:

http://www.patentstorm.us/patents/5851573-description.html

http://personal.palouse.net/valeska/Growth-calcium-energy.htm

As far as needing research to tell me that my giant breed doesn't need to pound around excessively until his body has developed, and needing research to tell me that growing too rapidly is harmful...I just don't need scientific proof. Owning giant breeds has taught me plenty. Most of it just seems logical.

The first one is a patent, inventors have been known to "pad" the need for their products.

The second one says Protein is not a problem, but excess calcium or just eating too much and putting on too much weight. So why do we see all the large breed puppy foods that are relatively low in protein?

Sometimes something that seems logical is wrong, or at least not the whole story, especially when applied to much different breeds. A BC is not the same as a Dane!

Good vets care for the health of your dog ...... they have food there to sell if you want it . When I told my vet that I switched Ollie to Canidae , she approved . I've never in all my years had a vet suggest I'd switch to anything they sold .

i agree with what everyone else has told you...

vets PUSH for the brands they sell and they tend to use the lack of good FREE knowledge (off the web) to their advantage, why?! because they make money from selling certain brands.

a BC is NOT a large breed, while its true that LARGE breeds shouldnt be on puppyfood for very long (if at all) a BC is not a large breed.
however a high quality all life stage food should be fine.

ive never heard of "adult puppy" and "large breed Puppy" tends to be the exact same food as any other puppyfood...

The patent article links to research studies.

Large breed puppy foods are not just low in protein. The calories and fat are lower as well. At least in quality formulas.

I'm very aware that a BC is not the same as a dane...but to many vets, a "large" breed is one that is over 50 pounds at maturity.

There are several peer-reviewed studies at the bottom of the patent description. I can send you the PDFs if you would like.

http://www.eaglepack.com/Pages/EP_PetHealth.html#lgnt

Also, if one is genuinely interested, I'd recommend consulting Linda Arndt - she knows a great deal about the subject and can tell you in more scientific terms than I can...

Here's a little info by her - http://www.greatdanelady.com/articles/large_and_giant_breed_nutritional_research.htm

Her contact info is on the site. She's generally very quick to get back to folks on questions. She's been very helpful to me in the past.