One year old at the latest. I don’t feed my dogs a “large” breed food, just a regular decent quality food. I kinda think it’s somewhat of a marketing thing to say “large breed” food. They just need a bit more than a smaller dog
My vet suggested me to switch from puppy food after 12months to 18months. Large breed puppy growing period is longer than small breed and they will continue to grow till 18 months. I feed my akita “ large breed puppy food” this is the reason why , hopefully it helps https://www.dogfoodadvisor.com/best-dog-foods/best-large-breed-puppy-food/
I took a look at the article and IMO some of those highly rated foods are crap, the Hills Science Diet, Eukanuba, Purina Pro Plan, Royal Canin, and the Diamond Naturals. The Taste Of The Wild is ok, but not great.
Many of Hill's Science kibbles have been recalled due to Salmonella contamination. http://www.poisonedpets.com/hills-pet-nutrition-science-diet-recalls-dry-dog-food/ Many of Hill's Science tinned foods have been [and still are] been/being recalled due to potentially toxic levels of Vitamin D. https://www.fda.gov/animal-veterina...lly-toxic-levels-vitamin-d-33-varieties-hills Various brands manufactured by Diamond Pet Food and sold under other brand names which have been/are being recalled. The following link gives a list of of some of the other brands recalled/being recalled. http://www.poisonedpets.com/category/pet-product-recalls-alerts/dog-food-recalls-alerts/
All my puppies have been fed adult food from 8 weeks onwards with no problems, I don’t feed Junior /senior /Light/ breed specific ect: either. Back in the day there was dog food, you fed it to large dogs, small dogs, puppy's,and old dogs. Then someone got a bright idea to break it up into puppy, adult, light, senior Ect: and then everyone jumped on the bandwagon. It is also recommended not to feed grain free ‘adult foods’ to puppies as the calcium is too high some grain free brands will state that their grain free formulas are not safe for large breed puppies. Generally, one of the main reasons given for feeding the large breed puppy foods is the lower calcium levels to help control growth (some also have lower calorie levels than adult ,but I don’t see higher calorie levels as an issue if one is careful not to overfeed). What puzzles me is that mostly it’s recommended to come off LBP at 12 months, why a year? Most large breeds are not necessarily full grown at 12 months. It is also very confusing as some foods only list the minimum calcium level, without listing the maximum,if they do not list the maximum Calcium levels how does one know what they are feeding? Also research on the matter varies, some say there is no conclusive evidence while others disagree.
Our vet advised no puppy food at all when we brought home our 8 week old male Akita earlier this year. She said that with large, heavy boned breeds there is a danger of the bones growing too quickly. I may be over simplifying that, but bottom line, no puppy food for Akitas.
My puppy was super thin after a horrible parasite infestation (he's a rescue and he had it when I got him). He refused Nutro MAX chicken puppy food. I bought him Pure Balance Salmon to maybe entice him to eat. It worked and he did eat it. He didn't LOVE it, but he ate it. When that 4 lb bag ran out, I decided to stick with fish formulas since that is what he seemed to prefer. I bought him the 22 lb bag of Crave Salmon and Whitefish. I mix it with different flavors of canned Pure Balance food. He prefers the Beef and Rice but he likes everything except the Turkey and Potato, which he refused. I'm going to switch him to dry completely but not yet. One of the canned chicken and rice foods he rotates with says PUPPY but literally the food is exactly the same as the adult, the pieces are just cut up smaller. There's no difference in nutrition and the price is exactly the same. I buy whatever flavors they have when I go. I don't feed any "puppy" formulas, don't see the point. I just feed him a decent dog food that he will eat and keep an eye on him. I don't know if he is a large breed puppy or not but should have a better idea soon (he has an Embark DNA test almost ready). What I DO know is that he is doing remarkably well. After a bout with demodex, his coat is filling back in SO WELL and he's a muscular and strong little man.
