Puppies require the right nutrition to meet their growth and development needs, but did you know that large breed puppies require even more specific, tailored nutrition compared to their smaller counterparts? Why Puppy Recipes are Important Small and medium sized breeds grow rapidly, so they benefit best from puppy specific recipes with plenty of animal protein and calories to help meet their energy needs. These ingredients help support muscles and bones, so that they grow up healthy and strong. Typically a small or medium sized breed reaches adulthood anywhere from 6 months to 1 year. Learn more about the best food for small breed dogs. How Large Breed Puppy Recipes are Different Large breed puppies are unique, however, in that they grow over a much longer period of time than small and medium sized breeds. Large breeds generally reach adulthood around 16-18 months, so it’s important to give them nutrition that ensures their bones, muscles and joints are healthy and strong once they reach adulthood. Because they have a very long growth period, you want to feed them a recipe that supports a slow and steady development that will be optimal for their bodies. To ensure this, ACANA™ Wholesome Grains Large Breed Puppy Recipe in the US and ACANA™ Puppy Large Breed Recipe* in Canada are both crafted with limited calcium levels that meet the nutritional standards set by AAFCO (for US recipes) and or FEDIAF (for Canadian recipes). In addition to a lower calcium level, it also includes calcium and phosphorus in specific ratios. Together, these nutrients work to help support optimal bone and joint development as large breed puppies grow. How to Follow the Feeding Guide for Large Breed Dogs Because of these specific nutrient levels, it’s important to feed large breed puppies according to the feeding guide on packaging. Over-feeding your large breed puppy could result in them getting more calories and nutrients than they need, so we recommend closely following the feeding guide on the puppy packaging until they’re ready to switch to an adult large breed diet. Feeding your puppy according to their breed size is a great way to set them up for a life of health and happiness as they get older, so we recommend always feeding them a puppy-specific diet to ensure they’re getting the balanced nutrients they need!
