[Udi W]

Hi all ,

today my 7 month lab puppy was neutered. my vet recommended to move to neuter dog food. obviously she recommended the brand that she supply which is royal canine, but I don’t rush for it. currently I feed him with taste of the wild, should I change and look for specific ingredients ? or it is o.k to stay with it and just watch over for overweight ? (probably reduce the amount of food)

thx

[Anonymous]

I have never heard of “neuter dog food”. If your dog is doing well on his current diet and getting adequate exercise, at least a 2 mile brisk walk 5 days a week. He shouldn’t need diet food.
However, some neutered dogs do tend to put on weight, so watch the amounts you are giving him. Only feed once or twice a day, take it easy on treats, no fattening treats.
Labs can have cruciate ligament injury, especially if they are overweight.

Consider homemade or a combo with grain free kibble. I like Nutrisca salmon and chickpea.
Is your dog overweight now? That would explain the vet’s concern.

See General Guidelines for tips: http://www.homeovet.net/dynamic/php/downloads/dog-c8470f2c75dbe4b683205c3919ee2310/dog_diet_complete.pdf

[C4D]

Hi Udi W,

There is no such thing as “neuter dog food”! It’s disappointing that your vet is trying to sell you on Royal Canin. 🙁 I’m not a personal fan of TOTW, but I dislike Royal Canin more. If you search on this forum there are a lot of discussions and recommended foods for feeding a large breed puppy to prevent joint/bone disorders. You could pick a food recommended from that list. The one thing you are going to have to watch is the calorie intake as you don’t want your puppy to grow too fast and I would definitely suggest feeding 2 meals per day as opposed to one.

Red has given you some good suggestions. I have/had labs myself. My current ones are over 10 and somewhere in the 5-7ish range, male & female, both altered. I’ve never fed a “neuter dog food” and they are both in excellent shape because I watch the calories and they get lots of walks.

[Pitlove]

I third what everyone else is saying. Royal Canin is very good at marketing to both the pet parent and the veterinarians. However that is about all they are good at. Their food IMO is overpriced corn, rice and by-products. Even foods that are meant for “weight management” tend to not really be formulated correctly for weight loss.

If he is at his ideal weight on TotW no reason to switch. Watch his weight carefully and if you notice weight gain cut back on how much he is eating.

I’d also like to add and stress the importance of managing his weight since he was neutered too early in his life for a large breed dog. Added weight can put more pressure on his frame and since he was neutered before his body has fully grown he has the potential to develop skeletal disorders. My vet had recommended 18 months of age to neuter my large breed dog because he would have been through his critical growth period completely by then. His breed can continue growing until they are 3 years old however. We do not plan to neuter him, however if we were going to I would wait til he was 3.

• This reply was modified 9 years, 2 months ago by Pitlove.

[C4D]

pitlove, I absolutely agree! I was going to bring it up since, as you might know, I have had a lot of early neuter/CCL problems. Unfortunately, it’s(neuter) already done. 🙁

Udi W, since the subject has already been brought up, please choose a food wisely since the hip displasia and CCL tears are a very real possibility!

• This reply was modified 9 years, 2 months ago by C4D.

[Pitlove]

C4D- I am so thankful and lucky that my boy grew properly and has not had any skeletal issues yet. I can’t imagine how awful that must have been for you and your fur family.

It really bothers me that vet’s are still recommending early spay and neutering especially for large/giant breed dogs with how much it can effect their growth and development. It is so important for people to get second opinions and do their own research. The first vet we brought our pitbull to would constantly “remind” us that we needed to neuter him. Every time we came in the vet would go “its time for those things to go”. Finally went to another vet who had a much better outlook and did not push neutering on me at all. It was really refreshing to talk to her.

[C4D]

Yeah, pitlove, you are wise to have chosen another vet. In my case my dogs were rescues with the spay/neuter already out of our control. We have literally spent thousands of dollars on surgeries and rehabilitation. This is not in a typical family’s budget, which often results in those dogs ending up back in a shelter. :'(

[Bobby dog]

Hi Udi W:
Labs are so much fun!! I am not sure if you are concerned about his current weight or the possibility of gaining weight. It is best for his health to keep him lean by not overfeeding and to avoid over exercising him until he reaches maturity; less stress on growing joints. Here’s some more info:
/best-dog-foods/best-large-breed-puppy-food/

Here’s a thread about large breed puppy nutritional requirements. Read the first three or four pages and the links on the first page:
/forums/topic/large-and-giant-breed-puppy-nutrition/

On this page look for the post dated October 2, 2013 at 4:22 pm and follow the link to recommended large breed puppy foods. If you choose one of these foods I recommend contacting the company to be sure the calcium/phosphorous ratios are optimal for a large breed puppy, the list has not been updated for a few years.
/forums/topic/large-and-giant-breed-puppy-nutrition/page/36/

You could also join the Editor’s Choice for a current list of approved large breed puppy foods. Sounds like your pup is in good hands, good luck and have lots of fun with your boy!!

[Udi W]

Hi all ,

thanks for the replies and info you shared. I watch basically everyday on my dog(Huston) body shape as I take a look from above and from his profile and feeling his ribs. My vet said that he is look in good condition. One thing that brought up here is the early neutering which I didn’t know , I’m reading this lab guide “Your labrador retriever puppy month by month” and the section about neutering is on 7 month stage. Well now I am very concerned that I did a mistake… can someone give me second opinion ?

for his diet and fitness ,
I carefully won’t overstress him with running and playing he gets his morning routine of 20-30 minutes of fetch game and about 3 km(1.8 mile) of walking for the entire day.
he is pretty small for his breed , today he is 8 month exactly. His weight is 24kilo(52 pounds)around 52cm (20 inch) height. For his weight and age the upper bound that is recommended by the TOTW on the dog bad is 4 cups and I give him 3 cups in 3 meals.
should I feed him with the puppy formula or switch to adult ?

[El]

Hi Udi

I wouldn’t worry about whether or not you did something wrong at this point. If you get another dog I would wait at a bare minimum until he or she is fully developed before I consider spaying or neutering them.

By the way I have never spayed or neutered a dog that was still intact when I rescued or adopted them. I am a firm believer in dealing with dogs the way you deal with children. You don’t remove body parts to change unwanted behaviors and you don’t castrate them as a method of birth control.

You seem like you really take good care of your lab and are very concerned with his well being. Being on the small side is a good thing and puppy food can be fed until your guy stops growing (around a year or so).

Taste of The Wild is a very popular food and if you ever want to “upgrade” spend a little time over on the review side of this website and check out the 5 star, freeze dried, dehydrated and raw foods.

Keep up the good work!

[Udi W]

thanks ,

following the link
/best-dog-foods/best-large-breed-puppy-food/

I saw that TOTW are nearly the upper limit for the gram per kcal (4.4 to 1000 kcal) and over the recommended ratio of calcium to Phosphorus with 1.6.

so I consdering to switch to canine caviar

Grain Free Puppy

but they only mentioned “Metabolized Energy= 636 kcal/ cup” is there a way to convert to kcal/kg or should I email them / anyone can tell me if he/she did this check ?

any other suggestion from this attached link :
http://tinypic.com/r/jrrvqp/8
it is a screenshot from my dog/cat food supplier i’m really want to continue to work with it. (80% of the profits goes to rescued dogs/cats shelters. there is a bit of Hebrew in the image but the brand is written in English – don’t get confused 😉 )

[Anonymous]

If a dog is going to be spayed/neutered. Before 6 months is considered too early.
Seven months sounds about right, if you can wait till 9 months – 1 year that’s good too.
If you wait too long it is harder for the dog adjust to the surgery and the hormone disruption (imo).

The only dogs I have observed have complications were a 2 year old female and 11 year old male, both had difficult recoveries.

Excerpt from: http://skeptvet.com/Blog/2014/07/potential-risks-of-neutering-and-age-at-neutering-for-godlen-retrievers-and-labrador-retrievers/
“The findings in this study suggest some increase in the risk of some diseases with neutering, but the patterns were not very consistent. Neutering before 6 months of age appeared to be associated with higher risk of cruciate ligament disease and elbow dysplasia in male Labradors but not with the risk of hip dysplasia. In females, however, the pattern was the opposite, with neutering at less than 6 months being associated with greater risk of hip dysplasia but not the other two orthopedic diseases. But in Golden retrievers, neutering before 6 months of age was associated with greater risk of cruciate ligament disease in both sexes, but with greater risk of hip dysplasia only in males, not females”.

[Pitlove]

If my new more integrative vet recommened 18 months for a pitbull I can not imagine 7 months is appropriate for a breed that CAN get upwards of 90 lbs. There is no way a lab is done growing completely by 7 months of age so I have to disagree with that. Proper growth is a huge aspect of large/giant breed puppy health and neutering before growth plates have closed like BCnut mentioned in another thread can cause complications in his growth.

You also had a unique situation with your 11 year old. Something that this person is not going through. You also can’t think that majority of the world is waiting til 11 years old to neuter a healthy dog just for the hell of it. Obviously an older dog, like an older human being, is going to have a harder time adjusting to any surgery. Especially when they are that old. I still maintain that 7months is too young for a large breed dog.

• This reply was modified 9 years, 2 months ago by Pitlove.

[Anonymous]

“One thing that brought up here is the early neutering which I didn’t know , I’m reading this lab guide “Your labrador retriever puppy month by month” and the section about neutering is on 7 month stage. Well now I am very concerned that I did a mistake… can someone give me second opinion” ?

Please don’t stress about it. It sounds like you have a vet that you trust, let him advise you.
I have never been able to make it past 9 months with a male dog that I had to have neutered, as they get into trouble, going after females, humping everything that moves….and what if you have to board them? They go nuts with all the different female smells at a kennel.
Regarding females, have you ever seen a female dog that has not been altered go through a false pregnancy? Yes, it happens and it is not pretty.

These situations are stressful for dogs, my small breed male that I chose not to neuter developed testicular cancer at the age of 11 and had to be neutered late in life.

So, there are other factors to consider. Talk to your vet, they forget everyone doesn’t have a medical background, ask him to explain his rationale for procedures and diet recommendations.
Best of luck.

[Bobby dog]

Yes Udi W., please don’t stress over something that is already done!!! You are obviously a loving and caring pet parent. You have been provided with a few resources about possible complications that may or may not result from early neutering so you are ahead of the game. Do your own research and work with your Vet, you both will be fine.

Now back to your original topic, food. As far as finding a food with the correct ratios I really suggest contacting any company directly so you can be sure you make an informed decision about the food. Recipes change without notice so I always feel it is best to contact the company.

[Udi W]

Alright friends ,

thanks for the advices and the information.
I’ll do my research from the provided links and will contact my vet.

wish you all the best !

thanks again 🙂

[Pitlove]

While it is true that whats done is done for this current lab, if you were to get another large or giant breed dog it would be good to do more research and talk to a variety of vets about the proper age of neuter for that breed as many of them can keep growing for a few years. It might seem moot to keep bantering about how 7 months seems young but it is helpful to discuss it incase you want another dog.

Personally I plan to have a least 2 more dogs, one a giant breed (Cane Corso) and another large breed (either another pit, rottweiler or GSD) so I need to know as much as I can about large and giant breed dog health and nutrition.

[crazy4cats]

Pitlove-
That was your fourth post on your opinion on what age to neuter. I think you have made your point. This thread was not about you. It is Udi’s thread and he/she was inquiring about what food to feed his/her large breed pup.

[Bobby dog]

It’s been discussed enough on this thread, start another thread on the topic.

[Pitlove]

I was having a back and forth conversation and others were posting as well. Do not jump down my throat.

[ed s]

Well whats done is done and there is no such food to help other then keeping portions down since after neutering labs tend to gain wait.

[Author]

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