Do large breed puppies need supplements for healthy bone development?

Great question! Puppies should not need supplements as long as they are on a quality, balanced food. I am not sure what foods are available in Ghana, but I like Royal Canin, Purina One, Iams, or Science Diet/Hills. These diets are tested and their ingredients have the balanced vitamins and minerals Fierce needs. Make sure you are feeding a Large Breed Puppy formula until she is about 1 year of age. The bag will tell you how much to feed daily based on her age and weight. If you are training with treats, make sure she is still getting her recommended about of dog food and not too many treats. Good luck and kisses to Fierce!

A balanced puppy food which has been specially formulated to be a complete diet should not be supplemented as this can lead to dietary excess, which can also be harmful to bone development. Check that the puppy food is suitable for the age and breed type and if you have concerns about bone and joint development I recommend a full physical by your vet to determine which, if any, supplementation is required

What you need to focus on in a large breed puppy is the calcium/phosphorus levels. If those are not in balance they can get growth abnormalities in their joints. For growth in large breed puppies, a dog food must (on a dry matter basis) contain: 1.2 to 1.8% calcium 1.0 to 1.6% phosphorus Calcium-to-phosphorus ratio between 1:1 and 1.8:1 The protein and fat percent are not that important. My recommendation is to feed a commercial diet that abides by AAFCO standards (this will be on the label) and just make sure it is for large breed puppies. Don’t use nutritional supplements when feeding your large breed puppy any commercial diet as you will surely upset the balance of minerals. I was assuming you were talking about feeding large breed puppies. If you want information on feeding an adult large breed please ask your question again and be more specific. I hope this helps. Best wishes!

Hi, thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! Bone is SUPER cute!! I do not recommend calcium supplementation. Once Bone is 5-6 weeks old start feeding him a commercial puppy food, like Purina puppy chow. If you are bottle feeding him with a puppy formula you can start mixing that with puppy food now. All commercial puppy foods are nutritionally balance. Over supplementing calcium can cause harm. I hope this helps!

I do not recommend Orijen at all. It's grain free, and grain free food is a dangerous fad in dogs. Vets are seeing an increase in dogs developing dilated cardiomyopathy in dogs fed grain free food, and the FDA is investigating that link. Grains are good for dogs, and there is absolutely no scientific proof or any study that has proven grains are bad for dogs. I would feed Willow a brand like Royal Canin, Hill's Science Diet, Purina ProPlan, and Iams. Feed according to their instructions, and make sure it's a puppy food. Best of luck,

No, I would not give Milo multi-vitamins of calcium supplements. While puppies do need higher amounts of protein, calcium, and calories than adult dogs, their puppy formulated food will provide that for him. It's never recommend to give puppies multivitamins and extra calcium as that can have detrimental effects on their growth, especially excess calcium. Stop giving Milo this supplements now, and be sure to feed him a high quality large breed puppy formulated food such as Royal Canin.

Hi, thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! Charlie is adorable No. If Charlie is on a high quality commercial large breed puppy food he doesn't need any supplements. Be very careful giving extra calcium to growing large breed puppies. There is no need to supplement. I wish you the best