Nutro Large Breed Puppy Controlled Growth

[trever]

Well I'll be danged. The first ingredient in Natural Choice used to be chicken. Now it is chicken meal. I first learned about Nutro at a feed show in TX. Their platform for the Natural Choice was that is used chicken and not the meal "like the other guys". Now they're doing it. Thanks for the heads up.

[mjfish]

Trever -- switching to chicken meal is actually a good thing...you get more meat in there because the meal is the meat with the water removed. Since ingredients are listed by weight, you want a named meat meal to be first. If you had just chicken first, once the water weight is removed by cooking, you would end up with less meat and therefore the chicken would actually slide down on the list of ingredients.

[trever]

I thought the chicken meal was with the beak, bones etc. Not so?

[mwaters]

Originally Posted by trever

I thought the chicken meal was with the beak, bones etc. Not so?

I think that is chicken by-products.

[trever]

Great!!!! I'm a fan again. All I know is they look great on it. Coats and skin are healthy as can be.

[brutuspuppy]

We are feeding him about 6 cups a day broken up into two meals. He is a very active lil guy and and tends to get into a lot while I'm working outside, which is how he gets the aforementioned goodies I spoke of. We didn't want him to grow too fast, which is why we switched him to the the controlled growth formula at about 2 months old. Hes already 24" tall which surprised me considering he is just over 5 months, but he was the largest male in the litter and has always been big for his age. At my best guess he is 70 lbs., because I have to lift him and my 63lb Chesapeake (recently weighed) into the bed of my truck, and he feels quite a few kibbles heavier. His treats, that he doesnt find on his own, consist of jerky tenders, rawhide bones, and training treats. We do notice eye gunk on Brute which I know can be related to his food. His coat is shiny, but he does have dry skin now, but that is most likely related to the constant bathing required after he rolls in the mud. Once again, I am very interested in knowing how I can slow Fat Boy's growth, as he is my pride and joy these days. I'd like to know what I can do now to prevent problems from happening down the road in Brutus' life. Thanks again folks.

[Shelby427]

wow, 6 cups a day seems like an awful lot to be feeding! I've never fed that much food to either of my dogs (both active). That along with treats and goodies he's getting, is a lot. And sorry to go off topic for a bit - but rawhides are not good for dogs - they can chew a small piece off and ingest it and it might get stuck and cause a blockage. Raw marrow bones are better than rawhides.

[lblax]

im feeding nutro and my 5 month old gets 3.5 cups a day your feeding way to much had mine wieghed yesterday and he wieghs 41 pounds and is very tall for his age you need to keep him slim with a nice tuck from the side and easy to feel ribs

[lblax]

Originally Posted by Shelby427

but rawhides are not good for dogs - they can chew a small piece off and ingest it and it might get stuck and cause a blockage. Raw marrow bones are better than rawhides.

while this insnt impossible ive feed rahide chips and such to every dog ive had and over the years ive had probably seven differant vets and i have asked everyone of them if they ever had to treat a dog due to a blockage or anything else caused by a rawide and each seven answered the same way NO THEY HAVE NOT

[Shelby427]

Originally Posted by lblax

while this insnt impossible ive feed rahide chips and such to every dog ive had and over the years ive had probably seven differant vets and i have asked everyone of them if they ever had to treat a dog due to a blockage or anything else caused by a rawide and each seven answered the same way NO THEY HAVE NOT

Each owner is different - I have fed rawhides previously, and have seen the chunks chewed off - I just personally don't like to give rawhides when I can give something better that won't break off in chunks like that. JMO

[daaqa]

i've talked with people who have faced blockages and frankly, i'd rather not go there with rawhides.. sarge tends to swallow large things... big raw bones are great for their teeth, good for them in so many ways.

re: 6 cups a day... i have my 5 month old on adult innova and he only has 3.5-4 cups per day. and he's pretty big [63 lbs last week]. 6 cups seems excessive. even if he acts hungry... some rotts are just piggies like that.

[brutuspuppy]

Im pretty sure Innova has more calories per cup though. I used to sell it at my feed store, and it better considering hom much folks were paying. Brutus tucks under very nicely, and you can see his ribs when he bends down to drink. He has extra skin I figure is typical for a growing pup, he looks like he is a soggier rottweiler, but is not by any means fat. His waist is clearly visible from both above and the side. I decided to feed him 6 cups because of his size, its less than the bag suggests for a dog of his age and weight. Ill limit the rawhides now but cheap treats are nice when your paying $40 for a 40 lb bag of food. When Brutus got his rabies vaccination at about 3 months he was already 41 lbs. I asked the vet if he was healthy because that sounds big, but she he was lean and is just a big boy. How many calories should a 70 lb dog be taking in?

[lblax]

Originally Posted by daaqa

i've talked with people who have faced blockages and frankly, i'd rather not go there with rawhides.. sarge tends to swallow large things... big raw bones are great for their teeth, good for them in so many ways.

.

like anything else you need to use common sense when they are chewing on anything and i personally do know several dogs that have fractured teeth and when your useing your dog in biting sports i wont risk that. here is what one vetriunarian has to say about bones

• Most dogs enjoy chewing. Select a safe rubber chew toy, such as a Kong or rawhide strip, which may also help to keep the teeth cleaner. Remember, dogs will chew with enough force to break their own teeth. Do not let your pet chew bones or stones, as this can break teeth or lead to serious health problems.

and what another says about rawhides

Is rawhide safe?

After quality, the second most-asked question about rawhide is whether or not chewing rawhide is healthy for puppies. A few years ago, one of the major medical schools in this country conducted a laboratory test to answer this question. The results showed that in groups of test dogs, even in those fed rawhide three times a day, there were no ill effects.

Dogs will swallow pieces of rawhide and these will pass easily through the digestive tract. Although choking or intestinal obstruction with rawhide is very rare, it could potentially occur and common-sense prevention measures should be taken. A dog and a rawhide product should never be left alone together unsupervised. Some dogs may quickly chew and swallow large pieces of rawhide. When your dog has chewed on a piece of rawhide to the point of it becoming soft, take that rawhide chew away and substitute another. Allow the softened rawhide to dry and harden, and it can then be given back to the dog.

you can find as many pros and cons on each everywhere you look but the key word with anything is common sense when my dog gets to where he can get the whole thing in his mouth i take it away and never give them any during the night or left alone in crates

[IJF1]

Nothing in life is risk free - you just have to weigh up the risks and benefits, then decide whether you want to go ahead with chews, rawhides, raw bones, kibble, a raw diet etc.

[Skip]

Another reason I don't give rawhide anymore is the possible ingredients. A lot of them come from mexico, and formaldehyde is one of the "curing" ingredients used. Dyes are used a lot of times also. Too many chemicals, plus the blockage factor. I used to give rawhide years ago, but not anymore.