Large breed puppies are puppies whose adult weight will be 70 lbs or more.
If you are feeding a commercially prepared food it should declare that it is formulated for “Large breed puppies” or “All life stages, all breeds” these diets are formulated to ensure proper bone growth rate. The large breed dogs are genetically prone to bone and joint issues especially if they are fed a poorly formulated diet. If the diets are formulated well they give you the best chance of not having any of these genetic problems manifesting.
The formulas are designed to balance energy, in the form of Kilocalories(kcals) per cup with the amount of calcium and phosphorus per kilocalorie. We want large breeds to grow slowly and have exactly the right amount of calcium and phosphorus per Kcal so that the bones do not grow too fast. If the bones grow too fast they can manifest defects/ malformations which will also affect the joints.
If you are feeding a raw diet it does not have to make the same declarations on the label because the raw diets are inherently lower in energy so they do not support overly rapid growth rates. They tend to provide the perfect amount of nutrition but not too much energy. It is still important to choose a raw diet that has been formulated by a veterinary nutritionist. Even though raw is awesome it can still be imbalanced.
If you are feeding a homemade diet it is extremely important that you follow a recipe that has been created by a board certified veterinary nutritionist and is formulated for large breed puppies.
The best diet is variety and mixing, raw, homemade, dehydrated, kibble, all in the same bowl is fine as long as they are all well chosen.
If you and your puppy have chosen a favorite diet and it is not clear on the label if it is formulated for large breed puppies you should be able to contact the manufacturer for clarification. If the manufacturer is not responsive then it is probably not a good diet.
Current research is also showing that “grain free” diets formulated with legumes (peas, lentils, garbanzo beans, etc) are linked to heart disease in dogs, especially young large breed dogs. The best ongoing research articles on this subject can be found at Petfoodology.com or Tufts University School of Veterinary Medicine, college of Nutrition.
