Royal Canin & feeding during growth spurts??

[Palin]

I am so glad I found this amazing site and it’s dedication to my favorite dog. This is my first time on the forum (besides the introduction  ) and I really have a 2 part question.

The first is I have recently switched my 9 mo old white puppy, Palin, from Pro Plan Chicken and Rice Puppy to Royal Canin Puppy 32 formula. Besides Royal Canin’s own website, I haven’t been able to find out much about them. It was initially recommended to me by my trainer. Has anyone else had any experience with this food?

The second is feeding amount. Right now, Palin is 20 ½ inches tall to the front shoulder and weighs 47 lb. Her build is very tall and lean and all muscle.
Prior to switching foods, she could care less about eating. I fed her 1 ½ cups in the morning and evening and most of the time she was only eating about ¾-1 cup at each feeding. Now that I have switched, she acts like she is starving. I feed her the recommended 3 ½ cups per day spilt into 2 meals. She eats every bit and then actually has started knocking her bowls around and going back to lick it when it is empty.
I really feel she is going through a growth spurt and want to feed her slightly more but have read that you don’t want to give too much during this time because it could harm her bones. And being very over protective, that nothing else may be causing this sudden onset of hunger.

Any advise for a very over protective mom would be great.

 

[Angelika_23]

Hi,

You might want to check out dogfoodanalysis.com for information on the food you are feeding your dog. Royal Canin has only one named meat in the first five ingredients, and filler that maybe isn't the best. The site will give you information on what to look for in quality dog food.

We are contemplating feeding Canidae All Stages Grain Free to our puppy when he gets home. I personally would not choose Royal Canin.

Angela

 

[Palin]

Thank you!

I will check out that web site. There is just so much information out there, and most of it misdirected, it is hard to know who and what to trust. Royal Canin promotes themselves as such a superior brand and the fact they have adult foods that are breed specific, I would have thought they were at the top of the line.

 

[BxrMommieNAZ]

I will check out that web site. There is just so much information out there, and most of it misdirected, it is hard to know who and what to trust. Royal Canin promotes themselves as such a superior brand and the fact they have adult foods that are breed specific, I would have thought they were at the top of the line.

Breed specific is just a marketing gimmick. Dogs are dogs and they all need the same nutrition, just more or less of it depending on size, weight, age, etc. There's really nothing different in the Boxer formula versus the German Shepherd formula versus the chihuahua formula.

Try not to be sucked into marketing gimmicks such as senior formulas, puppy formulas, breed formulas, active formulas, etc and do some research to educate yourself on how to read the actual labels, the ingredients, and then you can make your own decision on if the company is telling the truth or not. Dog Chow states that by using their food your dog can live an extra 2 years or something like that, well 2 years additional from what? I always wonder what they do that comparison with. Anyway, they can claim anything, definitely don't take the claims at face value until you've deciphered the label yourself.

I agree that I personally would not feed Royal Canin and I would not recommend it to anyone either.

Good luck!

 

[Palin]

Thank you Meghan. Can I ask what you feed your kids? I was going to go to our local store tonight after I read up on some things and see which of the better brands they carried.

 

[BxrMommieNAZ]

I have to feed Natural Balance Limited Ingredient Diet either Fish and Sweet Potato or Venison and Sweet Potato as my boy has severe food allergies and these are the only 2 foods on the market he can eat. So unfortunately I'm not able to broaden our horizens.

However in the past I have fed Chicken Soup, Canidae (before the formula change) and Costco brand (Kirkland) food.

 

[Palin]

I understand. Our last girl we recently lost was prone to pancreatitis and was on ID for the last 1 1/2 years we had her. But thank you for all your help and information. I went to our local Petsmart and they had Wellness so I decided to try that. She had her first couple bites and loved it. We may have a winner!

Any suggestions regarding her being so hungry? I don't want to over feed her but I didn't know if I should take exception during a growth spurt. It seems like she is growing overnight and since she has never really taken an interest in food before, didn't know if 1/4 to 1/2 cup more would be better for her. When I asked our vet, he said "as long as she is not eating to the point of getting "fat" and getting her regular exercise, she may need it since it seems she may be a bigger female." From what I read on the forum, that extra little bit may be very bad for her growing bones.

 

[gmacleod]

Personally, I would not increase the food during a growth spurt. Not unless the pup's condition (i.e. too thin - more than 2-3 sets of ribs visible) told me that she needed it. Otherwise, all you do is fuel faster growth - and that isn't a good thing.