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Specialty category dog foods vs. generic adult

851 views 2 replies 2 participants last post by  NicoleIsStoked  
#1 ·
I have heard that (unless your dog has a medical condition), dogs really don't need "large breed" food, or foods designed for a particular breed---that all adult dogs need the same food, simply in different amounts.

I'm asking because I have a Jack Russell and a Saint Bernard, and the Saint is about at the end of his first large bag of Hills' Science Diet Large Breed Adult dog food. Problem is, both dogs eat each others' dog food, and I'm thinking of simply getting them both the same food.

Now I'm not asking about what brand of dog food is the best, but simply--are there benefits to getting a large dog, a food marked "large breed"? I see that there is glucosamine and chondroitin in it, although my Saint doesn't have dysplaxia or arthritis.

I see that AAFCO has only two categories of food: adult and growth/reproductive, which (this theory says) is because those are the only two categories that have special nutritional requirements.

What do people here think about these special categories?
 
#2 · (Edited)
One thing that's become apparent to me, is that while I"m sure that any dog food that meets the AAFCO standards would have sufficient nutrients (and so, barring medical issues, you could feed any adult dog food to any other), there is another issue, apart from nutrients. I've noticed that the protein and fat content of the small breed dog food is significantly higher than the large breed (29 compared to 21 percent protein, and 17 to 12 percent fat--Pro Plan Focus Adult Small Breed vs. Hills Science Diet Large Breed). And so while both brands should have the nutrition that any adult dog would require, it would be much easier for my Saint Bernard to get fat by eating the small breed dog food.

And so I will continue to fight to get those rascals to eat as little of each other's food as possible, knowing that small amounts here and there probably won't matter.
 
#3 ·
For puppies it is very important that large breed puppies are fed a LB puppy food due to strict calcium requirements. For adults it's not a huge deal. Yes small breed food has more fat so your St. Bernard could beef up quick eating it. But a large breed food most likely will leave your small dog malnutritioned. A normal adult dog food would be a happy medium. Something with a moderate amount of fat and protein.
And while I know it's not what you were asking, I feel it's worth noting that Science diet and pro plan are both terrible foods full of by-products and fillers and preservatives.
Both dogs would greatly benefit from a higher quality holistic food with no by-products and fewer grains.