Hi Mike!

>> That's the first time I've heard of puppy chow being related to hip
>> problems but after some research online, I see what you're talking about..
>> I found this statement "Dog food over-supplemented with extra proteins,
>> vitamins and minerals to make puppies grow faster can create orthopedic
>> problems..." like hip displaysia... so the veterinarians don't advise

> I know I am a Johnny come lately on this topic.. I have found this to be
> absolutely true. Unaware of it at the time, and over the years with my dogs
>found it to be pretty much a fact. My first Newfoundland was the first to star
>my thinking on this. The Breeder said. as a Puppy, You Must! give him the high
>quality, High protein kibble, If You do not feed him natural diet. We even had
> to sign papers to the effect. Vader grew quickly and as an adult was  (even
> shockingly to the Vet) 185 Pound Newfoundland with no fat on him. His last
> years were rough, His hips were very bad.

That is so sad.. I know how hard is on the dogs.. our first dog ever, our
shepherd, had it so bad.. I also wish I could remember what she was given
as a pup by the breeder and by me after we bought her. Like your dog, her
last years were also very bad.

>The breeder said that hips were ofa
> certifiied quite a few generations back and was surprised to see he had hip
> problems. At the time I did not think much about it, it was just the way it
>was. We later had 2 dobes, one fed high protein, the other for whatever reason
>we decided regular quality food was fine. The High protein dog again grew fast
> and quick.

You know,  my in-laws took a pup from that same litter of shepherds that we
did.. they took a male.. and he didn't get displasia even though he was
twice the size of our shepherd .. I always wondered about that.. My in-laws
are gone now so I can't ask them, but knowing how my FIL fed that dog, I'll
bet he didn't bother with 'high protein puppy chow', etc., but just gave
the dog regular dog food.

> Later developed problems. Our last newfie, got regular food, his
>parents were not ofa certified, but only grew to be 115 pounds, about the size
> of a female newf. He has made it 12 years, with no hip problems. I then was
>thinking of our dogs and asked the Vet, and indeed it is now the thinking that
>giving any puppy despite the size of the breed, that extra protein, does cause
> to develope faster than the skeletal structure can keep up with.

I can see why ... how sad that it's taken this long for them to arrive at
this, but what can you do..

> He as a vet
>will not suggest higher protein foods. I would say I have to agree with him. I
> don't know whether the dog food companies pushed that at us like TV on a cell
>phone or what, but I guess they found it is not really needed and indeed cause
> problems later on.

Sure seems that way :(

Take care,
Janis

--- BBBS/LiI v4.01 Flag