Breeder recommended feeding puppies with adult food

[harveyspecter]

So this well regarded breeder suggested that puppies should be fed adult food instead of puppy food. He pointed out this is an effort to slow down the growth and development of the puppy. While we think that puppies should receive optimum nutrition as they are growing and developing, this is also contributing to the dog's premature health problems specifically joint issues as they mature.

Thoughts?

 

[2BullyMama]

I tagged a couple of members that might be able to provide some insight .....

 

[agentbunny]

A high quality dog food can be fed to both adults and puppies. The only difference should be the amount of food given. Puppies and pregnant/lactating dogs will require larger portions. "Puppy formula" can sometimes be just a marketing tool. Some puppy foods have extra nutrients but it begs one to wonder why the adult variety has an inadequate amount. Some giant breeds should not eat food that is supplemented because the extra calcium causes growth spurts in bone plates that can cause joint issues and lameness (great danes for for instance). I have never heard of this concerning bulldogs though.
You may notice that if you look at a pre-made raw or dehydrated diets, they are only available in "all life stage" formulas. My best advise is to find the best quality food that you can afford and feed the adult variety. Bulldogs can get a bit portly even as pups and the extra calories in puppy food are not really necessary for them. That's just my opinion, of course.

 

[Davidh]

You can give them an all stage food, just be sure the protein is not too high. FROMM 4 Star foods are an all stage food and can be given to pups. We feed our pups FROMM Puppy Gold until they are 7 months old, then switch them over to adult food.

 

[Vikinggirl]

David and AgentBunny have given you excellent advice. We also feed our guys Fromm's. we feed Fromm's Beef Fritatta or Fromm's Lamb and Lentil.

 

[harveyspecter]

thank you all.