5mth old Newfoundland

smufett

Help! What food should I be feeding my 5mth old Newfoundland..

merryhappy

Some people might advise you to put him/her on a puppy food, there's no need for it. I'd get him/her on James Wellbeloved Large Adult, its on special atm on www.chemistdirect.co.uk. 38 pounds for 18kg which is around 43euro its 55-60euro for a 15kg bad if you but it from a petshop.

I would also reccommend that site for worming tablets and flea treatment if you need any advice about those let me know.

Good luck!

Ruby Soho

Well at 5 months old and a giant breed I would think it extremely important that she got the correct growth food. A brand that caters for large / giant breed growing dogs, personally I would recommend Hill's Science Plan (which my two large breeds are thriving on) or Royal Canin Giant Junior / puppy. Why you would want to put a growing giant breed on an adult food is beyond me when there are plenty of high quality foods out there that cater perfectly for the dogs nutritional needs as a puppy. I'm surprised your vet hasn't emphasised this importance and suggested a brand.
As a giant breed the Newfie is very pone to developmental / skeletal diseases that can be avoided / lessened by correct nutrition. The giant breed growth diets will help him/her reach a healthy adult height and weight 'slowly' and not put the growing joints under excess strain. The brands I've mentioned might seem a bit pricey, but I have no issues paying it for my dogs, they are doing very well on it. One 15kg bag (about 65euro) lasts about 2.5 / 3 weeks, for two greyhounds weighing 28 and 35kg, so you could probably get about 2 weeks for a newfie if projected adult weight is 50-70kg. The food is highly digestible and concentrated, meaning less in the bowl and less to pick up in the garden afterwards, so bags of higher quality brands usually last much longer than cheap food.
Food is a very debated subject here, but I think that with a dog such as yours, nutrition should be PARAMOUNT, get the advice of a professional and go for a nutritional consultation with your vet.

Munster Gal

Royal Canin and James Wellbeloved are both made by the same company and are very good foods. I agree with Ruby that he should be on an appropriate puppy food. RC Giant Puppy is for pups up to 8 months, Giant Junior is for 8 months - 2 years and Giant Adult is for over 2 years. If you haven't pet insurance already I really recommend taking it out now, giant dogs = giant vet bills!

jimboddb

What have you been feeding him for the last 3 months? Get yourself a good food but one with not too much protein, max 25% is best for giants. And maybe think bout getting a good breed book & reading it twice!

Skillie

Our 9 month old Newfs on RC Giant Junior and was on RC Giant Puppy before that. as has been mentioned before buy it from zooplus.co.uk and its cheaper than the .ie website. he goes through a bag in under 3 weeks which is a lot but worth it. giant breeds do equal big vet bills and running costs particularly with chew toys and things to amuse him as they don't last long in those big jaws!! enjoy they are a lot of hard work and expense but so worth it

merryhappy

"Large-breed puppies need slow, sustained growth to help prevent orthopedic problems, such as hip dysplasia. Raise them on a diet designed for large-breed dogs or food for adult dogs. Whatever diet you choose shouldn't overemphasize protein, fat, and calorie levels."

Quoted from a book on nutrition for dogs..

echo17

Why does RoyalCanin have such high protein levels? I thought giant breeds needed much lower levels of protein - 20-25%