Thanks, Ela1ne! I also prefer a little more belly on the pup. I notice that Innova makes a large breed puppy formula with 24% protein and I hear that's a good brand. What brand of large breed puppy kibble were you using?

Thanks, Rhiann. This is very helpful! Did you end up taking your dog off Innova? My pup is having soft stools too on California N. Puppy formula but he seems otherwise healthy.

I start gradually changing over from puppy to adult food around 5 months of age...just do it gradually so your pup doesn't get an upset tummy. Puppy food has high protein levels which can make the bulldogs grow too rapidly, which in turn can cause them to limp (growing pains), so that's why we usually put bullies on adult food at an earlier age than most other breeds.

All my bullies did fine with weight gain and muscle mass on the adult food. Just make sure not to overfeed and end up with a chunky pup, because that can be stressful on the joints. BTW, I feed mine 3X's a day in smaller portions and adjust the amount of food they get by looking at their waist lines...if they start getting too thick through the middle, I cut back, and if they look like they need to fill out a bit more, I add more.

and I kept my pups on it until they were about one year old, altho I know that many stop at about 4-6mos. Your dog will fill out according to his gene pool, and you can adjust his weight somewhat by the amount you are feeding and the amount of exercise he gets. I like to see a little extra 'belly' on a pup until they get to about 9-10mos old, when they reach their adult height. Some dogs get extra calories in their "treats" so that needs to be factored in also.

Thanks, Sue! This is very helpful.

I agree that puppy food can force bone growth and cause bowed legs.

A good food with around 20 to 25% protein is good.

Sue

I like to raise my puppies on a higher protein food until they are about 8-10 weeks. Any longer and the problems begin (limping, bowed fronts etc) I am a firm believer that slow steady growth is far better than forced growth. After the switch i move to something in the 20% range.

As for protein. Each gram of protein contains 4 calories. Proteins have many functions, one of them being responsible for the cytoskeleton and muscle formation.

4 years ago i found it very interesting that one of my dogs aminio acids levels were low. The dog was on a very high quality protein food calledn Innova Evo. Proteins are formed from amino acids. So i am not sure what was going on in this dogs case but i found it very bizaree. So after that i made a pact tomyself that each year i would run full panels on each of my dogs to ensure they were recieving adequate nutrition and were healthy.


I also dont gradually chancge food. I just do it. but that me. I have never really had issues with upset tummies etc over food changes, only soft formed stools, which puppies often have any way.

Hope everyones answers have helped.
Rhiann


Rhiann @ Butlerbullz

What ever works best for your dog is what you should use.

Thanks for the info, Robin. This is very helpful! I will look for an all stages formula. My breeder fed the pups California Natural lamb and rice small bite mixed in with the Canidae all stages but I see the California Natural is for an adult dog and isn't all stages. Is there a specific calorie or protein % I should look for when I move to adult food...?

Thanks for the response, Barb. This is very helpful! Right now he eats close to 3/4 a cup of puppy kibble, three times a day but he doesn't always finish it. Do you add anything special to the kibble or just give the dog food? By the way, your bullies are gorgeous. Love the beach pics. Are they all yours?

For my pups, I will slowly switch them over to adult maintenance food when they are 3-4 months old, but might keep an individual pup on puppy food longer, IF they seem to require it to keep weight on. Most of my pups are heavy boned, especially the males, and I've ruined a few by keeping them on puppy food too long, causing their front feet to turn out. So now I switch sooner rather than later.

Calorie count has many variables and isn't directly linked to the protein level. Some brands of food will list on the bag the calorie count per cup. I think there is a website that lists the different dog food ingredients and it also has calorie info. There are premium adult foods that have a higher calorie count per cup than some puppy foods, that's why it is important to read labels. Any good quality food should provide enough for a growing pup, look for a food labeled 'for all stages'.

You can always adjust the amount fed to each individual dog, to suit their needs. I think genetics determine the ultimate size and bulk a dog will have, it isn't so dependent on what they are fed - within reason of course. A dog that is chronically undernourished won't realize their full potential, but I doubt that would apply in your case. And a dog overfed may look 'bulky' - but it would really just be fat. Your goal is a happy medium.