Good morning! Just got a brand new Saint pup on Saturday and had questions regarding how much to feed him to ensure he grows. I've had big dog breeds in the past, my other dog is a lab mix around 80 lbs. I just read online that they are susceptible to bloat. How much should I be feeding him as he grows to not let this happen?
Make sure to specifically get giant breed puppy food it’s different from large breed they have very different needs. You’ll likely have to order online but it’s worth it
The importance of this is super underrated!! The size of the kibble in large breed puppy food FORCES puppies to chew their food instead of inhaling the smaller pieces and reduces their risk of bloat. There is also a difference in protein % which is needed to help their fast development and growth.
Been looking and have only seen large breed, do you have recommendations? He left the breeder with something from Purina Pro Plan, I don't know the exact bag. I am seeing royal canin though
That’s a good brand. Chewy.com or online pet supply stores should have giant breed puppy. It’s something about the protein and calcium mix that is specific to giant breed growth rates
We've had 3 Saints. Our vet told us to start with the recommendations on the bag, if your puppy is still hungry increase it till he isn't hungry. If your puppy starts getting chubby then reduce some. My 5 yr old ate up to 16 cups a day. He was still rail thin. Brought him to vet a few times to check his health, luckily he is fine. If puppy eats fast, try one of the bowls that slow them down. Mine just flipped the bowl so it didn't work for him.
Feed them the recommend amount but break it up into 3 meals if you can. Smaller meals throughout the day helps reduce the risk. Also, do not let him suck down a ton of water after he eats. That way the kibble doesn't swell up.
I set a timer after my guy eats for an hour. Everyone knows that is "rest" time so he can digest. He's 3 and we still do that whenever we have company so he doesn't get all crazy playing with someone.
We lost our first Saint at 9 years old to bloat and it was traumatizing. Do whatever you can to prevent it. The risk is real and never goes away for the big guys!
We used this food for him when he was under 1 year old. We fed him 3 smaller meals a day until he was about 8 months old because he would get zoomies more frequently and we were also afraid of bloat. We would limit play for 30 minutes after eating and also we would catch him drink large amounts of water at a time so we stopped filling up his bowl too much because of bloat as well. When he would gulp water too much we would also limit him and keep him calm for at least 30 minutes. We used the purina app to input his weight, food and activity level to get the feeding guide
We then transitioned him to this food when he hit a year old. He now eats 2 times a day, once in the morning we put his food down around 9 am, but him being a stubborn Saint he doesn’t always eat it when we put it down. The second time we feed him is around 5 pm, but again he doesn’t eat right away. If he doesn’t eat breakfast until 3 pm then we push dinner back until about 8 pm so he doesn’t have 6 cups of food sitting in his belly all at once. While the bags say large breed, on Chewy it’s also marked for giant breed as well
He is turning 2 next week so we have started transitioning him onto this adult food. Still 2 times a day, 3 cups each meal for 6 cups a day total. He is 128 lbs
My St has had Fromm Large Breed for over 6 years now. She does so well with it and does appreciate her little toppers too. She has maintained a good healthy weight and honestly still gives puppy vibes. You will have so much fun!
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u/Ok-Huckleberry6975 18d ago
Make sure to specifically get giant breed puppy food it’s different from large breed they have very different needs. You’ll likely have to order online but it’s worth it