In the past few years, several pet food manufacturers have come out with special "large breed" puppy formulas designed to prevent developmental bone disease such as Osteodystrophy and Osteochondroses. There are two causes for these diseases, genetic predisposition and overfeeding/over-supplementing by pet owners. In response, the manufacturers noticed that Osteodystrophy and Osteochondroses can be prevented by controlling calcium-phosphorous ratios and calorie consumption.

Over-supplementation with calcium has long been a problem for the pet feeding public. By feeding isolated nutrients, such as calcium, it is indeed possible to throw ratios and balances off, resulting in bone disease. It is also true that by limiting caloric intake that disease may decrease. This is nothing new and nothing unique to large breed dog feeding. Overeating any food can result in disease.

In spite of audacious claims to the contrary, no one knows what perfect nutrition is. "Large breed" foods contain rice flour, dried beet pulp, grain sorghum, and dried eggs to control caloric intake. How did the large ancestors of today's dogs and wolves manage without these ingredients, or how do the huge great cats, such as lions or tigers, manage to grow without caloric restriction?

Cycling through the various Wysong Diets, and providing fresh whole food, provides the important variety needed (Wysong Health Letter, January 1996) for large breed puppies. Each diet is formulated a little differently, which offers your pet an increasing opportunity to receive a broader spectrum of nutrients, and decreases the potential for developing allergies or sensitivities to any particular ingredient. By feeding with a more natural-food-based program, the chances of overeating are less. There are no short cuts or magic processed food formulas when trying to reach optimal health. (For more information regarding optimal health feeding, Optimal Health Program.)