TOP 5 LARGE BREED PUPPY FOODS FOR DOBERMANS

TOP 5 LARGE BREED PUPPY FOODS FOR DOBERMANS
Unique Dobermans are weaned onto Kirkland Natures Domain puppy food, then by 3 to 4 months of age they will need transferred onto a good "Large Breed Puppy Food" designed especially for your rapidly growing Doberman puppy.

Currently our favorites are:
1. Wellness Large Breed Puppy 
2. Fromm Gold Holistic Large Breed Puppy Dry Dog Food3. Wellness Grain-Free Complete Health Puppy Deboned Chicken, Chicken Meal & Salmon Meal
4. Castor & Pollux Organix Puppy Recipe with Chicken, Brown Rice and Flaxseed
5. AvoDerm Natural Chicken Meal & Brown Rice Formula Large Breed Puppy
6. Now Fresh Grain-Free Large Breed Puppy
7. Pro Pac Ultimates Chicken Meal & Brown Rice Puppy
8. Premium Edge Puppy Large Breed Lamb, Rice & Vegetable 
9. NutriSource Large Breed Puppy Chicken & Rice Formula 
10. Natural Balance L.I.D. Limited Ingredient Diets Puppy Formula Potato & Duck Formula


Recommended Calcium Guidelines:
Fortunately, there’s general agreement among the experts.
To meet AAFCO nutrient profiles 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 1:1 to 1.8:114

Special Caution for Canned and Raw Feeders:
As a general rule, many (but not all) canned or raw dog foods tend to contain notably more calories per serving — which means they may not meet the strict safety guidelines listed above.

In fact, if the dog food you’re planning to feed contains more than 4000 calories per kilogram, the recipe must meet special calorie-weighted AAFCO nutrient requirements.

These energy-dense dog foods must contain:

• 2.0 to 4.5 g calcium per 1000 calories
• 2.5 to 4.0 g phosphorus per 1000 calories
• Calcium-to-phosphorus ratio 1:1 to 1.8:1

A puppy born weighing only one pound can quickly grow to 100 pounds or more within the first 24 months of its life. This accelerated growth rate means that large breed puppies are very sensitive to nutrient and caloric intake – imbalances, deficiencies, and excesses all negatively impact your large breed puppy’s health and development.

Growing too quickly has been linked to developmental orthopedic disease (DOD), which includes the following conditions:

• Hypertrophic osteodystrophy
• Osteochondrosis
• Retained ulnar cartilage core
• Panosteitis
• Hip dysplasia
• Elbow dysplasia
• Wobblers / Spondylosis 

Overnutrition plays a large role in excessive growth, which is why it is important to feed your large breed puppy a diet specially formulated for controlling your large breed puppies growth. These diets differ from regular puppy diets in four ways:

1. Lower in fat
2. Lower in calcium
3. Lower in phosphorus
4. Lower in vitamin D

Remember, limiting the number of calories in your Unique Dobermans puppy food helps to slow growth rates.
Slow and Steady Wins the Race!
http://www.uniquedobermans.com/