Considerations when your puppy grows too fast.
Your Shiloh Shepherd puppy is DNA coded to reach its full growth potential at maturation, and there is no need to hurry this. It is imperative for the health and longevity of your Shiloh, to allow it to grow slowly.
A leaner puppy is healthier than a bigger puppy. When you overfeed, your puppy may not appear fat, but you can cause the skeletal system to grow too fast. A fast growing skeletal system is a bad thing. What you should help your puppy achieve, is for their skeletal system and joints to grow slowly. Delayed growth is much healthier than forced growth.
Growing too fast can lead to, and is not limited to the following health considerations:
Reduced bone density, being too heavy from overfeeding stresses their developing joints and bones, which can result in irreversible skeletal malformations.
Growing too fast can lead to HOD (Hypertrophic osteodystrophy), which is similar to panosteitis, but affects more than one leg and is more painful and it can permanently damage the growth plates.
Growing too fast can also lead to Osteochondrosis, where the cartilage develops abnormally at the end of a bone in the joint and separates from the underlying bone.
If you are unsure of how much to feed your growing Shiloh Shepherd puppy, talk with your Breeder AND your Veterinarian.
The following are general recommendations for feeding your growing Shiloh Shepherd puppy. These recommendations should not replace your Veterinarian's advice on feeding amounts.
Here is a general guide for feeding a growing Shiloh pup (working up from the lower of the feeding amount to the higher end for each month category):
3-4 months of age – 3.5-4.5 cups kibble divided by 3 meals
4-5 months of age – 4.5-5.5 cups kibble divided by 3 meals
5 to 12 months of age - 5-6 cups kibble divided by 3 meals
Comments